Rise of the Black Dragon
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Xanxus has always known he was adopted, long before he was taken in by the Vongola. Too bad no one told Timoteo that. As he struggles to make his own way in the Vongola family, his past begins to catch up to him. Let's hope the English magical enclaves can handle dealing with a very independent Varia Boss! Xanxus-is-Harry Rated for language
1. Chapter 1

It was the middle of the night when fate's wheels cracked and began to spin uncontrollably in a random, unforeseen direction.

A rather rotund, unpleasant man was looking around for a place to stash the bundle in his arms. After a few moments to assure himself that the cops weren't around and no one would identify him later, he dumps the bundle into the trash and makes clear strides towards his hotel. After all, he had been sent to do a business deal that would hopefully land him a promotion later if things were successful.

It was only when it started to rain that the bundle shifted, and began to wail, revealing a small infant with pure green eyes and pale skin.

The man had long since gone, but the child remained.

It continued to bawl louder...until a pair of thin arms picked it up.

"Shhh... shhh... Hush little one. So like my little Alexander," cooed the woman. "My precious, precious child."

Green eyes latched onto the woman. She was nicer than the other female, who shrieked and was mean and made him spend long hours in that dark place when he was hungry or made a mess in his diaper.

"Ma ma?" said the little one, too young to understand the world around him fully.

A strange, almost sad smile came across her face.

Her little Alexander was gone, taken away too soon by one of her 'customers' who had hurt her badly before he killed her precious infant son for crying too loudly...but perhaps god had sent her a replacement? Her fevered mind, already addled by the pain of losing her only son and the drugs she used to cope with the loss, latched on to this new scenario.

"Shh... it's alright little Xander... mama has you and she won't let you go away again," she whispered, clutching her new son closely.

Unaware of the repercussions of adopting an infant left abandoned in the slums of Italy, or the way that the winds of destiny were shifting into new, unfamiliar patterns.

* * *

 _Five years later..._

Xanxus looked at the brilliant red-orange flames in his hand. His mother stared at them as well, her feverish mind supplying a new addition to his past that he sadly knew was a figment of her imagination.

Last year when his Ma was actually sane and not drugged up, in a rare moment when she was her real self and not the woman he took care of in her bad moments, she had let it slip that while he wasn't her son in blood, she still loved him as her own.

Xanxus had felt numb when she calmly explained to him that she had found him in the trash less than a month after losing her actual son Alexander. How in her drugged state she had decided that since god had taken one son, she would claim him as a replacement.

And he believed her.

He had always known, to some extent, that he was _not_ her biological son. It wasn't the whispers that the other whores shared in the dark of the night when they thought no one could hear them. It wasn't the fact that he looked nothing like his Ma, or that his eyes were the wrong color.

Something inside him told him that she wasn't his mother. Memories of a woman screaming in the night, pleading for his life only for her own to be cut short. Of people changing into animals (mostly a dog and a stag). Of a man with a wild beard driving a motorcycle, wild and fierce, but in reality very gentle.

However...this woman who had lost her child had taken in a brat someone had tossed aside like so much trash. She had fed him, raised him, and did everything she could in her condition to treat him like her actual son.

And he'd be damned if anyone said different. In the absence of his own mother, this woman was his Ma and he'd kill anyone who said differently.

Now though, now Xanxus genuinely feared for her. From the way she was talking, she was making it out like he was the son of one of her johns. Someone high up. Someone _important_.

And for a slum rat, earning the gaze of someone _important_ never, ever ended well. It was a fairy tale when such things did end well for the poor bastard who suddenly got thrown into the upper class without having to earn it the hard way first.

Unaware of the way his eyes shifted to a bright, crimson red at the thought of some bastard hurting his Ma because she lied, Xanxus vowed that he'd protect her with this new power.

It wasn't the other one. The one he kept secret because his gut told him it would be a bad idea if people knew he had it. That a lot of the wrong sort would come for him if it was exposed at the wrong time.

So when he saw the old man with the 'kindly' old face, Xanxus knew that trusting him with the truth was not a smart move. Better to play along that he was the man's son for now.

At least until he was old enough and strong enough to take anything the world tried to shove on him, before turning around and telling them to fuck off.

Timoteo Vongola might think he had the slum youth fooled with his "nice" persona, but he had no idea what he was about to unleash on his famiglia.

* * *

 _In the Vongola Mansion..._

He was fine with Enrico, Massimo and Federico, all of which seemed rather dubious about the whole "You have an illegitimate half-brother" bullshit the old geezer was trying to sell. While he did have these "Wrath Flames", he could tell they weren't entirely buying it.

The stupid fucker known as Iemitsu, however, pissed him off. And that was _before_ he heard the asshole speak. He could tell right off that he wouldn't be getting along with him, ever.

Pretty much the same feeling he got from the old geezer's Storm Guardian, the uptight shit head Coyote Nougat.

It didn't take much for Xanxus to utterly _loathe_ the Storm Guardian.

And that was before he blasted through the tutors they insisted he suffer through. People who, almost to a _man_ , thought he was a savage, uneducated feral brat who should be grateful that they were taking time to teach his ass things he already knew.

Why the fuck none of these trash thought to give him a simple competency test to see exactly where his grade level was the first time they had to deal with him, he'd never understand.

"Oh dear. So this is the little stray you picked up?" said a voice.

He turned and glared at it. He wasn't a fucking stray kitten that needed a home. He had one he was perfectly fucking happy with!

The woman was old, but she still looked younger than the fucker who had claimed him as his son and then only pretended he was family long enough to bitch about his behavior.

And his 'brothers'? Don't make him laugh, they all had their heads up their asses and seemed happy to pretend the world was already theirs.

The woman looked amused.

"Honestly son, why are you attempting to turn a half-feral tiger cub into a pampered house cat? Have you no sense at all?"

Suddenly he was liking her a bit more than the shitty old geezer. She at least understood he wasn't some pampered prince.

He found himself scooped up. It wasn't his fault he was skinny as hell! It was hard finding quality food in the slums and his ma couldn't cook worth a shit! He had to learn out of self-defense!

"Hello little one. My name is Daniela and I suppose I'm your grandmother," she said.

"At least you're not as stupid as that shitty geezer or the bitchy Storm of his," said Xanxus bluntly.

Rather than be offended, Daniela tried to hold back her laugh...she wasn't very successful.

"Yes, my son can be quite dense, can't he? Care to keep an old woman company for a bit while my son attempts to free up some time for his poor old mother?"

Spend time with a woman who apparently had eyes and knew how to fucking use them, or with tutors who were all idiots.

Decisions, decisions.

"I better not have to dress up or any shit like that," he said flatly.

"I think we're going to get along splendidly," laughed Daniela, an impish gleam in her eyes.

It was official. Xanxus liked Daniela a hell of a lot more than the lying shitty old geezer or his bitchy Storm. Daniela had laughed herself almost to hiccups when he bluntly stated that Coyote had to be going through perpetual menopause or had something uncomfortable shoved firmly up his ass with how he always seemed to have a bitchy look on his face regardless of the circumstances. She really _did_ get hiccups when he said that Enrico looked like a idiotic rooster with his head stuck up his ass with how he strutted about like he owned the place already and failed to see the little things.

Daniela understood him a lot better than his so-called 'father' ever tried to.

She was the one to arrange for a basic test to see exactly where he actually _was_ education wise. She was pleasantly surprised he was roughly up to the beginnings of a high school education, despite the fact he had lived in the slums his entire life.

Imagine his tutors shock when they learned the real reason Xanxus never paid attention to his lessons. He was already far ahead of what they were trying to teach him!

Daniela smiled and took her new grandson to the rather large library. To her amusement, Xanxus dove into the books without a second thought.

She noticed he was squinting quite a bit, despite the fact the room was well lit. How on earth did her son miss that the poor boy needed glasses?

* * *

 _In the office..._

Timoteo had a fixed look on his face, hiding the pained grimace he wanted to let out.

"You want to what?"

"I'm going to take over raising that little tiger cub you've taken in," said his mother firmly. "The poor boy is fitting in at all here, and it's clear you're far to busy to give him the firm hand he needs."

"He's an arrogant little shit who refuses to listen," spat Coyote. He didn't like Xanxus, and the kid made it clear the feeling was very much mutual.

Daniela's eyebrow twitched. That was never a good sign.

"The boy has an actual brain and a desire to actually use it. He's practically at the high school level already and he didn't even hesitate to dive into the library when I showed him where it was. Never mind the fact the poor thing needs glasses or contacts. He was squinting the entire time he was trying to read. He's not an idiot and you're going about it entirely the wrong way if you're trying to endear yourself to him," she said flatly, her smile rather terrifying.

Timoteo blinked.

"What?"

"Xanxus is very much an avid reader. Apparently he read whatever he could get his hands on while he was with his mother, and there was a small bookstore that had a sympathetic employee who looked the other way when he snuck in after hours. He needs glasses," said Daniela. She gave Coyote a look. "And he would be a lot easier to deal with if you didn't insist on automatically holding him to the same standards as your actual sons, when he has no idea what the unspoken rules are. Has anyone actually bothered to sit him down and _explain_ things to him in a way he can understand since he came here? He didn't even know how to request the shampoo and conditioner he actually wants, for god's sake!"

Xanxus made no bones how annoyed he was having to use the 'floral smelling crap'. He wasn't a fucking girl and he refused to smell like one.

Timoteo looked very much like he'd love to be anywhere else as his mother took him to task about his mismanagement of the Wrath he had found.

So much so that he more or less caved just to get her to leave that much faster.

A decision he would come to regret in later years, as it turned out. Perhaps if he had kept the child close he could have prevented the brat from picking up such a loud Rain as his Right hand.

* * *

Daniela's home, while slightly smaller than the Iron Fort, was a lot easier to breathe in. Xanxus _hated_ the Iron Fort, which always made the walls feel like they were closing in on him with all their stupid traditions and condescending attitudes.

Sure, he had to actually _behave_ and at least _try_ to tone down his swearing habit...but that was a small price to pay. Nonna, as she insisted he call her despite the fact she had acknowledged her son wasn't his actual father, was much easier to live with compared to that fucker Coyote who was always breathing down his neck for stupid shit.

He liked his grandmother. She didn't take shit from anyone despite being a woman, and she treated him like he had an actual brain, not like some pampered pet that made a mess when he didn't behave. Best of all she made sure he could actually _see_.

He never knew the world was so clear since he got those contacts. He always thought it was a blur unless you were really, really up close to it. Seeing things _properly_ was something he'd never thought he'd enjoy.

And if that wasn't enough, she even let him get the colored ones so long as it still fit within his prescription. Now he had his favorite bloody red coloring in his eyes on top of the feathers in his hair. Xanxus loved birds, almost as much as he loved cats.

Today he was going to read in this tree he had found in the forest surrounding the manor. It was in a deep, out of the way area where he could be assured of being left alone for hours at a time. Since all the territory for the next two miles belonged to the Vongola, it was almost assured that he wouldn't have to worry about much. And if something did happen...well they'd find themselves on the wrong end of a trick he had discovered quite by accident one morning when he was attempting to discover the full extent of his 'other' ability.

He knew through meditation that he had two spirit animals, both of which appealed to his inner sensibilities greatly. One he had already begun to learn how to shift into, and he found it great fun to explore...despite being the size of a medium-sized dog and half-grown. He knew he liked tigers for a reason.

The other one was far more difficult and drained him a lot faster than the first one did. At least attempting to actually turn into it anyway... he could spit fireballs with ease now and he found his skin was not semi-fireproof whenever he allowed it to take a slight leathery tone. And the less said about how much he could see when his eyes shifted, the better. He couldn't wait to figure out how to manifest the wings, because he'd never stay on the ground.

So it was only natural that when he found his territory partially invaded by a silver-haired asshole with a sword and a cocky smirk that he reacted badly.

"Voi! Who the fuck are you and what are doing in my training spot?" he sneered.

Xanxus saw red, and quite happily threw the first punch, nearly taking out the fucker's teeth in the process. On the plus side, his following punch gave the asshole a very nice broken nose.

"VOI! Who the fuck do you think you are asshole?!"

Xanxus said nothing, sliding into a stance he had learned last week, a feral grin on his face.

The silver-haired asshole took one look at that and grinned much like a bloodthirsty shark. He took out his sword and prepared to attack.

Xanxus couldn't rightly say how long they tried to beat the living shit out of each other. What he did know was that the moment he brought out of his angry red-orange flames, the silver-haired bastard tried to counter with a not-so-calming blue...and in the moment that they touched, the two somehow clicked.

 _MINE_ , his blood and soul sang. _This is_ MINE.

The silver haired asshole stumbled and tripped, before falling flat on his ass and staring at Xanxus in disbelief.

"Voi... what the actual fuck..." he said in shock. "You're a fucking _Sky_?!"

"You're the asshole trespassing in Nonna's back yard," Xanxus said smugly.

He stared at him in shock.

"Voi... you're not that kid that the shitty geezer claimed is his bastard son a few years back, are you?" he asked slowly.

"Fuck the old man and fuck his Storm," said Xanxus scowling.

The asshole ran his hand through his hair in shock.

"Voi...this is fucking messed up. Never expected to find my Sky here of all places..." he muttered.

Xanxus walked up to the asshole and held out his hand. The silver-haired pest took it without a second thought.

"Xanxus."

"Voi. Squalo Superbi," he replied back.

And that was how the Wrath met his rather violent and very vocal Rain. Timoteo would be cursing his "son's" choice in Right Hands for years after the fact.


	2. Chapter 2

Daniela didn't hide her reaction to meeting Xanxus' first Guardian and soon-to-be Right Hand.

She about died laughing her ass off, pounding the table hard as she howled.

"Only you would find the most vicious, foul mouthed Rain in the Mafia Academy and end up harmonizing with him!" she cracked up, unable to hold in her mirth. Her son was going to be appalled and Coyote was going to have kittens dealing with _two_ of them! Eyes glinting with amusement, she grinned at Squalo. "At least you had the good taste to find a Rain that might actually be able to keep up with you. He looks like he'll be a good Right Hand."

Squalo discreetly preened at the praise. It meant a lot, coming from the only _female_ Don of the Vongola who was known as a tough old broad.

Xanxus felt tears down his eye and cursed.

"Dust in your eyes again?" asked Daniela with sympathy.

"Think my contacts slipped during the fight," he grumbled. He went to his room and swapped them out for his frames...much as he loved the convenience of contacts there were times that they were a complete pain in the ass. It was going to take all night before he could put in a fresh pair if he was guessing right.

Squalo took _one_ look at his eyes and blinked. Twice.

"Voi. What's with the color contacts?"

"Actually that's his _natural_ eye color if you can believe it. He was wearing contact earlier... I suppose red is a far less noticeable color than his natural green."

The red could be dismissed after a moment for a rather unusual shade of brown. But eyes that vibrant and bright tended to get remembered very quickly if asked.

They were a striking verdant color that reminded one of emeralds or some other brilliantly cut gem. Not exactly something one forgot, once they saw them.

Squalo ended up spending dinner with his new Sky and the former Vongola Donna. Once he got to know Xanxus, the other boy quickly gained his respect.

There was something about the other boy that had his full attention and he knew it wasn't something as stupid as Sky Charisma or some other bullshit.

Xanxus had the unrelenting fury of a Storm mixed with the unquestionable authority only natural rulers possessed. The kind that, if they weren't royalty already had a tendency to get elevated pretty damn quick to at least noble status before their deaths. The kind of aura that only a true leader would possess.

Squalo had been around other Skies before, and only a few actually had the true charisma needed to pull others in. That wasn't to say they didn't have a natural ability to bind people together...but they lacked a certain Quality needed to not only rule others, but actually be _good_ at it in a way that would last without using others as a crutch.

Daniela Vongola had it. Dino, the idiot he was stuck suffering classes with, had a fraction of it and Reborn was quickly training him in a way to bring it out properly.

But Xanxus? He was not only born into it, but he damn well knew instinctively that to get loyalty you had to show you were worthy of it first.

He wasn't some idiot Sky who'd hide behind his Elements...this was a man who wouldn't hesitate to jump right into the front lines, get his hands dirty and show whatever fucker pissed him off who the true King was. This was someone who expected the best out of himself and out of his men, and he made damn sure that everyone knew it.

No wonder he had harmonized so fast with him. Squalo couldn't wait to see what Xanxus would do once he defeated Tyr.

Daniela's grin hadn't abated once, especially seeing the bloodthirsty shark her grandson had bonded with almost immediately. She could see Squalo Superbi would be good for Xanxus...the poor boy was socially stunted and in dire need of a good conversation partner that wouldn't kiss his ass like half the idiots her son would prefer to saddle him with.

Squalo reluctantly went back to the school, but it wouldn't take long for his new status as someone's Rain Guardian to get out.

* * *

 _An indeterminate time later..._

It was a rainy day, the sort of day that made people very much inclined to stay _inside_ with how miserable it was. Xanxus, as per usual for him, was firmly in the library reading something he had recently gotten his hands on. It was a fiction about a prehistoric shark that some still believed might actually be alive today, though no one could actually confirm it.

Something a hell of a lot harder to kill and was far more terrifying than _Jaws_.

"Voi. What are you reading now?" asked Squalo curious, crashing on one of the many long couches.

"A book about a massive fucking prehistoric that makes a return from the depths of the ocean to terrorize the modern world that's a hell of a lot more terrifying than fucking Jaws."

"...Voi, seriously?" asked Squalo with open interest.

"The opening is somewhat inaccurate, but this particular breed of shark is actually the prehistoric ancestor of the great white. Fully grown it's big enough to eat an adult man whole without needing to bite, and it's teeth are bigger than my hand."

Seeing he had Squalo's full interest, Xanxus smirked. He finished the book and tossed it to the bored Rain.

Within the first chapter (which was where the historical inaccuracy came in... megalodons weren't around in the same general time period as the T-Rex) Squalo was firmly hooked and grinning viciously.

Xanxus wondered how Squalo would react if he knew that his Sky had ordered a megalodon tooth for the Shark's birthday, along with a the full jaw set of a great white shark. Most idiots would give him swords or other blade-related paraphernalia.

Xanxus would rather poke fun at the fact his Rain was a shark in human form. Way more entertaining and he knew Squalo would get a kick out of it, if the way he was grinning at the book was any indication.

"Voi, are there any more?" asked Squalo when he finished the book. It wasn't that long, and it had been fairly entertaining. His grin widened when he saw Xanxus holding up the sequel, along with two others.

He had mostly been re-reading the set before moving on to the fourth book anyway.

Squalo was seriously starting to reconsider his assessment of books being boring as fuck, especially since it was pretty damn obvious his new Sky was an avid reader.

Naturally it was around dinner that Daniela decided to broach what it was that Squalo actually wanted to _do_ with his life, if only to see if it would line up with whatever goals Xanxus had planned.

Only to end up _very_ amused when she found out he was planning to challenge the current head of the Varia and claim the title of Sword Emperor.

The fact Squalo had next to no interest in actually _leading_ the group meant that Xanxus was likely to get stuck with that role. However he was firmly putting his foot down when it came to paperwork.

He might be an avid reader, but there was no way in _hell_ he was suffering someone else's shitty handwriting when he could simply send Squalo to threaten the mooks into re-writing the damn thing in a legible hand. He was _not_ above forcing a bunch of pissy assassins into learning how to read and write in a way that people could actually read their damn reports if it meant avoiding headaches.

Naturally hearing this made Daniela cackle, because she had wished many a time that she had the ability to do something similar.

There was a reason she adored her adopted grandson, and most of it was for the sheer entertainment he brought to the table.

* * *

Xanxus cursed. Ever since that stupid letter showed up to some school he had never heard of, much less applied to his life had been utterly hectic.

"Fucking magical morons," grumbled Xanxus. Thanks to those assholes he was firmly on house arrest until this mess was cleared up. He wasn't even allowed in his usual spot to read, because it was too far away from the house!

Daniela came up to him with a hug. Her other grandsons were too 'old' for such things, but Xanxus more or less humored her since it was either live with his grandmother, or stay with his 'father' and the people he couldn't stand.

Besides, he would never admit it but he didn't mind the hugs. His ma wasn't much for affection considering her condition, and the only time she ever doted on him was in her lucid moments, which were beyond rare that it wasn't even funny.

"Guess who got you a special tutor to get those idiots off our backs?"

He perked up at that.

And managed not to gape when he realized the tutor his grandmother hired was none other than Viper.

"Mu. Time is money, so do not waste mine with frivolous questions or stupid stunts."

Xanxus grinned. He could already tell they'd get along very well.

"You got me the world's number one information broker as a tutor for this magic bullshit?"

Viper blinked, before a slight smirk appeared on their face. They liked this one already, if his first thought upon seeing them was "world's number one information broker" and not "Mist Arcobaleno".

None of them liked being reminded of the curse, which was all they ever got since people took one look at their size and pacifiers before automatically thinking "So-and-So Arcobaleno".

Within the first few hours, Viper was already pleased with their new student. Not only was the former Donna paying them very good money to train her grandson, but the boy clearly had a brain and wasn't afraid to use it. And that was _before_ Viper found out how much magic Xanxus had.

It was enough that the Mist highly suspected the pre-teen wasn't actually Vongola by blood, but someone who had simply developed Wrath Flames and was adopted into the family to hide the truth.

Xanxus, when Viper actually said as much, openly snorted.

"I know the old fucker isn't my father. My ma adopted me when I was still in diapers when she found me in the trash," he said flatly.

Daniela, who had been in the room to watch how training was going, choked on her drink.

"What?!" she said in shock. She was aware Xanxus knew for a fact he wasn't her biological grandson... but this was news to her!

"Ma told me once during one of her good days that she found me in the trash less than a week after her own kid was killed by one of her johns, and in her mental state apparently decided I was her son Alexander. It wasn't like anyone came to claim me, and we moved when I was five after a police raid," shrugged Xanxus.

He wasn't ashamed of the fact he had been found in the trash. His past would not define him...that was something he had vowed a long, long time ago.

Daniela stared at him.

"Your real name is Alexander?" she said incredulous.

"You didn't really think someone would name their kid Xanxus, did you?" he shot back at her.

"Mu... that might explain the size of your core. And why the animagus transformation comes so easily to you...normally only children who are exposed repeatedly to the magic during their developmental years and while still in the womb pick it up so quickly."

"Feh. The tiger was easy enough to pick up...it's the other one I'm having trouble with! Always feels like I'm overusing something when I try to use it past partials," complained Xanxus.

"Definitely have animagus parents. Or you were around one that transformed often enough that your developing mind latched onto the flow of magic, if you can see two transformations. Any idea what the second form is?"

"Dragon, or close enough to one," said Xanxus immediately.

"In that case it's not a problem of the form being locked, but that your core is not mature enough to handle the full transformation. Dragons are _magical_ creatures by nature and would take far more than a simple animal. Stick to partial transformations in different areas so that your body and magic get used to the idea of pulling on your core that way. When you're at least fifteen then you can attempt a full transformation, but sixteen would be better," said Viper. "And if you are already aware of being adopted, then perhaps we should arrange for a simple lineage test to find out who your biological parents are. You might have an inheritance already waiting for you."

"You think so?" asked Daniela, giving the Mist her full attention.

She had sat Xanxus down after one snide comment too many from Iemitsu during Christmas one year to explain about the Vongola Rings being blood locked to the family. Without the blood connection there was a near certain chance the rings would reject him and possibly kill him if he attempted to claim them.

So if he had an inheritance waiting for him, then she would do everything in her power to insure that he received it. Even if it meant culling a few morons from his possible family tree that tried to deny him his rightful heritage.

"...Are you aware that among my skills I am a fully accredited forensic accountant?" said Viper.

"You mean the same way that Reborn guy has several degrees in various mathematics, including a doctorate?" asked Xanxus, raising an eyebrow.

"We all got bored one year and decided to go for it just to kill time," shrugged Viper. "Well, all but Skull who only got a Master's degree in mechanical engineering."

"So where do we go for a test?"

"Gringotts. The goblins have a way to print out a full family tree down to the first 'official' pure blood for a fee."

The trio were entirely unaware that the winds of destiny were beginning to blow ever more erratically, as Daniela began to make plans to help her grandson claim his rightful heritage, even if she also planned to blood adopt him into her family so he could at least claim the Vongola name, even if he wasn't one.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry minna! I was snowed in and it was too dangerous to visit the library until the snow melted (it's at the bottom of a steep hill). So to make up for being gone so long I'll post a double update!**

* * *

Daniela wasn't the only one staring at the very long piece of parchment. Xanxus, Squalo and Viper were as well.

"Voi... so you're technically a Vongola, just not one directly related to them?" said Squalo after a moment.

"Hell, according to this I'm indirectly related to most of the Primo's guardians!" said Xanxus annoyed.

"Actually according to this you're technically my third cousin once removed," said Viper dryly.

Xanxus' head whipped to look at Viper incredulous.

"My original surname is Black, though I was cast out...and not for the usual reasons," explained Viper.

"What do you mean cast out?"

"I mean the head of the family decided he didn't want another heir trying to usurp his asshole son of the position, despite being better qualified," said Viper bluntly. "Despite what that idiot claimed I am not nor have I ever been a squib, which is what they call magical children unable to cast magic."

Squibs couldn't become animagi. And there was a very specific reason their name was Viper.

"...So what exactly do I have, and how much paperwork am I going to be dealing with?"

The goblin blinked, but smirked at his blunt manner.

Normally they would never dream of helping a mere _human_ sort out their inheritance, but this had all the hallmarks of being immensely entertaining on multiple levels, with the nice benefit of screwing over a large number of humans and a certain idiot with delusions of adequacy.

"Depends on what you wish to do. You can claim the heir ring of the Potter family, though that would alert certain factions that you are in fact alive and in another country. You could potentially claim the heir ring of the Blacks, though that would require proving the current heir ineligible first and a meeting with the family head."

"What about blood adopting him into the family so he can legally claim our surname, despite being cousins?" asked Daniela intently.

Xanxus might not be _directly_ related to Ricardo or Giotto, but according to this he was still _technically_ a Vongola.

"Acceptable, though he will need to sire at least four children to carry on his family lines," said the goblin.

"Would this help bypass a blood locked artifact?"

"Unfortunately no. Such things are usually locked to a _specific_ branch of the family and according to his lineage he comes from the main branch. In this case the older bloodline would take precedence."

Daniela gave her grandson a look as if to say "it was worth a try".

Squalo mostly sat back and watched them argue specifics and other details that went way over his head, until an agreement was settled on.

Xanxus would be "officially adopted" into Daniela's line as her son, since there wasn't a way to make him her grandson. While he would still retain the titles and family magics, he could now legally claim his name was Alexander "Xanxus" Vongola-Black, since apparently Giotto had been a spare heir of the Potter family and that made the Vongola a branch of the 'main' line.

He would also claim the rings after he had either passed the "Ordinary Wizarding Levels" (which had Squalo snorting at the ridiculous name) or turned fifteen, whichever came first.

Considering the mafia way of dealing with unexpected magically-inclined children was to train their asses off until they passed the required tests and then discreetly make said children 'vanish' into thin air for at least five years by moving them through various countries until the whatever Ministry picked up on them lost interest, this wasn't really a hardship.

Only idiots actually _registered_ the fact they had an active "Soul Fire Aspect" (or Aspects, for short) with the Ministry. The bastards had a set of wards to track down and monitor any use of Flames within the limits of areas where the mafia tended to cluster, particularly Italy and the surrounding countries.

If they caught you using it among people who weren't on the "approved list", aka other magicals then they got really annoying and had a habit of attempting to wipe people's memories of Dying Will Flames, even if the person in question had them as well.

As Daniela could attest, having to bury the WEATHER division of the Varia, it wasn't pretty when the "magical morons" put their nose in where they didn't belong. They had lost more than one operative and nearly the entire division because of it before they learned that they needed to cover their tracks and found out exactly how the hell the assholes kept finding out about their operations.

As Viper was the closest blood relative that was currently in contact, they were registered as Xanxus' magical guardian and Steward. Viper was ridiculously pleased with this, as it meant that they could reclaim their surname legally and there was nothing the current head could do about it.

Xanxus had exactly _zero_ interest in wading through pure blood politics...mafia politics pissed him off enough. Which meant Viper got to have all the fun of telling "the poncy morons to piss off", in their words while unraveling the mess left behind in Xanxus' newly acquired vaults.

According to "official" records, he was from the "branch family of the Potter", and as the only one to display clear signs of magic was now the heir apparent until the "official heir" resurfaced to claim them.

Considering the "official" heir and the "heir apparent" were actually one in the same, the only way that was going to happen would be through line theft...and that meant the goblins could rather gleefully rip people a new one while parting with a hefty amount of gold to Xanxus and to a lesser extent Viper.

Viper was positively _cackling_ due to the fact that thanks to inbreeding and sheer greed there was almost certainly going to be money made. Especially when one considered the fact that the gold-to-muggle conversion ranking was practically a guaranteed way to earn a lot of money in short order thanks to the fact none of the magicals knew what computers were or that the gold market was in an upswing lately.

The gold alone was worth more than the money it converted to, and Xanxus had absolutely no issue with screwing over a bunch of inbred hicks that were trying to claim _his_ money, or letting Viper have a very healthy cut of it since they were doing most of the work anyway.

And no, Xanxus was not surprised in the least when he harmonized with Viper right around the time the first dividends of their scheme started to come pouring in. Viper could do whatever the fuck they wanted with the money so long as they were earning more than they were spending and he didn't have to deal with the bullshit unless it was to scare some unimportant fuckers trying to swindle them.

Squalo had laughed himself into hiccups when Viper declare their shared Sky their "favorite cousin". He was not alone in that.

* * *

Xanxus was not breathing hard, though he was rather pissed that he had already lost one of his damn contacts.

Apparently someone had taken great offense to the fact he had basically gutted the European magical economy, so a bunch of hit wizards and other less-than-legal magicals had shown up on one of the rare days he was spending time in the Iron Fort with his 'brothers' and the old bastard.

Squalo was very vocal in his annoyance with the assholes. They had interrupted a rather enjoyable sparring session where Xanxus was testing out his new focus...a pair of loosely crafted guns made with crushed dragon scales and the wood that Viper had determined resonated with Xanxus' core the most.

Xanxus was not about to wave around a damn wand. He knew all too well what they could be a euphemism for and he did not need the mental image. That, and as Viper had quickly determined thanks to a rather common test among pure bloods, Xanxus excelled at wandless and instinctive magic thanks to the fact he had extensive experience using it without a wand purely to survive the slums. A wand was a crutch, and he refused to become dependent on it.

Fortunately his newly made guns could perform the same task so long as he was creative about it while still remaining practical.

Seeing Federico go down (he could feel with his Flames/Magic he was simply Stunned, not dead) Xanxus felt the dragon and the tiger in him growl.

These assholes had invaded _his_ territory. They had harmed his kin, and they were attempting to reclaim what was _his_.

Fuck that shit. Someone was going to pay with their pound of flesh and he was going to make damn sure to collect.

With a roar not unlike his inner dragon, Xanxus drew back his head and blasted the hallway with a rather long stream of Wrath Flames...though considering what his secondary form was, he could easily claim he was shooting dragonfire at the fuckers.

Hearing the yelps from the wizards who suddenly lost their precious focus, Squalo dove in once it was somewhat safe to do so and started maiming anyone who was clearly an enemy.

They couldn't cast without a wand, and it would take more brainpower than these morons had to use any magical artifacts they had with them if they were too busy going into shock from losing a limb or two.

So when Xanxus took a lucky blow to the head, Squalo was at his side the second he registered his Sky in pain. He looked very much like a pissed off shark in the middle of a blood fury all too happy to eat anyone stupid enough to earn his attentions.

* * *

 _In the infirmary..._

Xanxus was not a happy camper. Then again the thirteen year old rarely was whenever he was dragged into the main house where he had to deal with the senile old bastard who claimed he was his 'father'.

He'd sooner claim his grandmother as blood kin than that asshole. He barely tolerated his brothers, and he couldn't stand Iemitsu.

So being stuck in the infirmary with a mild concussion and all the Suns treating his brothers or other "more important" people was really pissing him off. Especially since he could sense there was a Sun near the wall sulking, despite having enough power to actually do some good. From what he was sensing (since he couldn't see worth a shit thanks to losing one of his contacts and Squalo was too busy hovering to bother getting his glasses) the chick was being actively avoided by everyone, and no one was willing to let her do her damn job.

Fuck that.

Even without his glasses, he could still pinpoint _exactly_ where everyone was.

"Oi, stupid bitch. Get over here and heal this damn concussion before I shoot you," he said flatly, pointing _directly_ at the female Sun everyone was avoiding for some reason.

Dead silence...though his Shark was openly amused by something.

"...Are you talking to me?" asked an incredulous (and slightly hopeful) voice from where he was pointing.

"Did I fucking stutter?"

Finally given permission from someone who actually _wanted_ their help, the Sun came over. In no time at all, blessed relief from the migraine that had been forming from the noise level abated. Now in direct contact with the Flames, he could read something odd about the annoying girl who had been stuck on the sidelines for some ridiculous reason.

Squinting, he could vaguely see a rather unusual hair color and something that looked like red sunglasses, but that was it.

"Xanxus, you have to be joking! Why are you letting that fag treat you?"

"What did you call her, asshole?" said Xanxus, glaring in the general direction of Iemitsu.

Pure, unadulterated shock from the Sun's Flames.

Squalo couldn't help his snickering.

"Did you lose your contacts in the fight boss?"

"I don't need my damn contacts to tell the difference between a woman and a man, shitty shark. And her Flames clearly read female," sniped Xanxus.

Squalo almost laughed...except he could tell his Sky was being entirely serious.

"Voi... what the actual fuck. I thought you said that weird sensory thing you do is fool proof?"

"Sensory thing?" repeated Massimo incredulous.

"Boss is practically blind without his contacts or his glasses," explained Squalo. "He has this weird echolocation thing he does with his Flames to compensate."

It wasn't that big a secret, and as long as Xanxus could still hit what he wanted to he didn't care if people found out he was half-blind without them on.

Squalo looked at the weird Sun who was practically radiating happiness at being called a girl of all things. Weird.

"Voi. Keep an eye on the boss while I grab his spares from my bag."

"Can do, darling~!" chirped the Sun.

Squalo left the weird Sun and Xanxus (who promptly started asking what genre of books the 'girl' liked to read) and returned five minutes later with Xanxus' spare glasses.

He slid them on, blinked a minute to let his eyes refocus, before staring at the Sun for exactly five seconds and then snorting.

"I swear the gods have the worst fucking sense of humor, sticking some poor bastards in the wrong fucking gender just for shits and giggles."

Now that he could see again, he saw why Squalo had been amused at first. The 'female' he had all but ordered to fix his concussion was a _guy_. Or at least had the shape of one.

However his sensory trick had never lead him wrong before, and this wasn't the first time he ran into someone who was born the wrong gender. The 'man' who had taught him to read had been born a woman, and had been very pleased that Xanxus had been able to tell their "actual" gender and addressed them appropriately regardless of what their biology claimed otherwise.

The Sun was practically giddy that someone had known from the start that they were a girl, not a guy like their figure claimed.

"The name's Lussuria, darling~!" she chirped.

Massimo gagged to the side. He couldn't stand the Sun, who was so flamboyantly gay that it made him want to hurl. Which was why he had rejected the teen outright as a Guardian.

What Xanxus' said next only cemented him as Lussuria's new favorite person...and give his 'father' headaches for quite some time at the Sun his adopted son chose for his Guardian.

"You're not one of those fucking damsel in distress, pretty princess types are you?" he asked dryly.

Lussuria was openly amused by that question.

"I'd rather be like the Black Widow or Scarlet Witch than some hussy who needs an idiot hero to save her ass all the time," she replied flatly.

Xanxus grinned at that. Massimo looked appalled.

"Will wonders never cease. A woman who actually likes decent comics."

Lussuria beamed at him.

"Voi. What just happened?" asked Squalo to no one in particular.

"My adorably violent little brother is apparently picking a transvestite as his Sun," said Massimo dryly.

"Fuck you. Just because you can't tell when someone is born the wrong gender doesn't mean you should discriminate against them. It's not their fault god is an asshole," said Xanxus without a second's hesitation or remorse. "People are people, regardless of what form, religion or skin tone they have."


	4. Chapter 4

Lussuria looked at the hysterically laughing Daniela in concern. Laughing that hard couldn't possibly be healthy for anyone her age.

"Should I be worried?"

"Once she gets over the amusement of the headaches the boss is going to give the old fucker and his generation when it comes to his choice in Guardians, she'll be fine," said Squalo dismissively.

Timoteo had a migraine when Xanxus harmonized with Squalo. He was going to have a coronary when he fully bonded with Lussuria, and he had no idea that his adopted son even had an Arcobaleno as his Mist.

It was probably for the best that Xanxus was rarely called up to the Iron Fort save for certain events and holidays...it meant the Ninth boss could pretend he didn't have such a headache-inducing son in his family.

"Where is the boss anyway?"

"Setting something up with Viper. The miser brat has been helping him out with something regarding his other training."

Xanxus walked in with Viper on their shoulder, and a sheaf of...was that parchment?

"What's that?"

"Permission to get your gender sorted out. Once the bond fully settles then I can legally take you to see a specialist who can permanently fix your gender to the one you identify with, rather than what you were born with...if you're interested of course," said Xanxus.

Lussuria stared at him in absolute shock. S/he wasn't the only one...Daniela had stopped laughing like a loon.

"I...what?"

Xanxus rolled his eyes.

"The fuckers who attacked the fort are part of a society that's been around since before the Vongola Primo was even born. They apparently have procedures and medicines that can correct something as 'minor' as being born to the wrong gender to what your soul identifies with. Though it requires a few doctor visits and permission to use the permanent kind, and you'll have to deal with a few outpatient visits from the doctor to make sure everything is settling correctly."

Lussuria looked at Xanxus in shock.

"You're telling me I could actually be made into a female without having to do all the expensive hormone treatments and scalpel work?"

"It would only take a month or two, but according to Viper it's a fairly common procedure once you have the doctor's approval. You have to actually _identify_ with the gender you're turning into, otherwise it just causes all sorts of problems," said Xanxus flatly. "If your Flames say you're a girl, then I don't see why a minor thing like biology should stop you from being one."

Lussuria almost wanted to cry. And here she had thought she had lucked out getting a Sky who wasn't turned off by their flamboyant behavior that treated her normally!

"Where do I sign?" Luss asked eagerly.

"You're rather eager to do this. There's no switching back you understand," said Viper.

"Do you have _any_ idea what it's like being a girl in a boy's body? The amount of harassment I go through because I refuse to let society dictate how I should and shouldn't act? The sheer number of idiots who kick me out simply because they think I'm gay or because I make them uncomfortable? Boss is the only person who immediately identified me as a female and still let me treat him without flinching or looking at me in disgust," said Lussuria. "If all it takes is some two-month procedure to fix that, then I'm all for it."

Daniela looked at the gender-confused child with sympathy. At least the Sun had found a Sky who understood them, even if they were a bit odd.

It only took a week for the paperwork to go through...Xanxus wasn't above bribing people with gold, and people were scrambling to keep their vaults active since Viper had taken great pleasure in draining the gold supply dry.

To say Lussuria was eager to finally be the _right_ gender was an understatement. If they hadn't already started to bond with Xanxus, the fact he was actually _paying_ for the procedure to correct something that had been their bane for many, many years would have earned that loyalty.

As it was, Lussuria would quite happily follow Xanxus to hell and back, all while killing anyone stupid enough to try and take their Sky from them. It was much the same for Squalo, who had quickly grown resigned to the fact that the Sun was now part of the same Sky.

He could learn to ignore their quirks so long as they didn't piss him off too much.

Daniela was just amused that Xanxus apparently had the knack of picking Guardians everyone overlooked because of their personality or something they had no control over, and earning their loyalty within a week. First Squalo, and now Lussuria who was utterly delighted in finally feeling _right_ for the first time in their life. Fortunately the teen was a bit of a late bloomer, so their body had only just started the transition into puberty.

She would always be a bit more masculine compared to other females her age, but that was a small price to pay in the long term.

* * *

Xanxus was feeling antsy. Squalo had been missing for three days and he could tell his Rain was fighting someone. There was even a sharp phantom pain in his left hand for some reason.

So when his Right Hand returned after having defeated the Sword Emperor and claimed his title, the first thing Xanxus did was slap the idiot on the head.

"You could have given me a head's up that you were challenging him, idiota!"

"Voi! What was that for?" demanded Squalo.

Lussuria took one look at the missing hand and winced.

"Well that explains why Boss was rubbing his hand like he was in pain for the past several hours," said the Sun.

Squalo's head whipped around to look at Lussuria in shock, before staring at Xanxus. Viper snorted.

"What you failed to realize, idiot, is that because of the fact his Flames are tied almost directly into his core, he has something of a strong psychic connection with his Elements. So much so that when you lost your hand he could quite literally feel it as if it was his own," said Viper flatly. "The fact he's close to you as a friend only amplifies that reaction. Though that connection is a two-way street."

Squalo had the decency to look abashed. The idea that his Sky would feel the lost limb had never even occurred to him, and despite his gruff exterior he knew full well how protective Xanxus could be with those he was close to.

Case in point, the fact he had happily broken Iemitsu's nose for daring to call his Sun a "freak" because they were now 100 percent female despite the fact they had been a guy several months earlier. He didn't give a damn how much Coyote or Timoteo bitched about it...the asshole had it coming and Xanxus was a firm believer that when you messed with one of his, then you were messing with him as well.

If there was one thing the Wrath had in spades it was loyalty to his men, even if he was crap at showing it most of the time.

Like his rather irritating (in Squalo's opinion) habit of tossing his drinking glasses when irritated. The number of times he had to wash crap out of his hair alone since becoming Xanxus' Rain... worse Daniela seemed to find it funny, which meant he was only encouraged to continue that behavior.

"Voi... I should have said something."

"Next time at least leave a note. Even a crappy one saying you'd be gone for a bit would have worked, shitty shark. If you do that again you're Lussuria's new dress up bitch," said Xanxus flatly.

Squalo made a face. Lussuria was a total fashion snob and loved making new clothes. And Xanxus was fine with acting as a dress up dummy so long as they fit his general preference and didn't come off as tacky or ridiculous.

He was not getting roped into that, thank you very much.

"So, now that you've defeated the Sword Emperor you do realize that makes you the new head of the Varia, right?" said Daniela grinning.

"Fuck that. I'm letting Xanxus be the boss so I don't have to deal with the fucking politics," said Squalo in disgust. He only wanted to defeat the now-former head of the Varia because the man was a master swordsman. He had no interest in reining in those crazies or having to be the one in charge!

"At least you've already completed your high school education and just need to sit in the secondary magical exams," said Daniela in fond exasperation. "You will visit often, right?"

Because if Squalo was going to hand over the position of "head of the Varia" to Xanxus, then obviously he would live in the ancient castle.

Xanxus snorted.

"I still haven't read your entire library, and god knows I'll need a place to crash to get away from the idiots. Besides, you're the only one who doesn't mind if I use you as a shield from the old fucker and his bitchy menopausal Guardians," said Xanxus.

Daniela didn't bother to hide her usual reaction to Xanxus' blunt description of her son's Guardians. She cackled.

To be fair, Coyote and Viscounti did often act like they were bitchy old women with something highly unpleasant stuck in their craw that were determined to take out their bad day one everyone else save for their Sky...and Daniela, who'd happily kick their ass if they tried that shit with her.

Xanxus was younger, inexperienced and didn't give a damn about quite a few of the rules that governed polite society and made no bones how he felt about the Ninth Generation. As such he was fair game for their annoyance...not that he cared. The teen was just as happy to give as good as he got from the idiots and then some, which provided no end of entertainment for the former Donna.

Well, her and her tea buddies who thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about her wild grandson who was all too happy to give her plenty of new stories to share with her friends and gossip about. Quite a few of them had been utterly amused by the way he had gained his Rain.

Hence why she was eagerly awaiting to see exactly how Xanxus was going to take the Varia by storm. She had little doubt he'd earn their respect and allegiance within a month...and not because of any ridiculous Sky charisma.

* * *

 _In the Varia headquarters_

Viper, known better as Mammon the Mist Officer, was eagerly awaiting to see what her favorite cousin would do. Squalo had made it clear that if he won against Tyr he was going to dump the responsibility of being Varia leader on Xanxus the first chance he had.

Upon confirming Tyr's defeat at the hands of the Rain, Mammon had promptly gone over the library in the castle and updated the stock of books inside. By this point they knew Xanxus' habits quite well, and if he didn't have a well stocked library to read from on bad days then he tended to get very crabby and take it out on anyone stupid enough to get within range of his guns.

They would like to keep the repair bills down, thank you very much. Besides, the library was overdue for an overhaul as the last time anything had been added had been decades ago. The mooks were pleasantly surprised that the Misty Miser had given them some new reading material. Mammon was even nice enough to update the selection of available comics and there was even some graphic novels!

Squalo waltzed in like he owned the place, and everyone fully expected him to claim his rightful place as Varia leader. After all, he had beaten Tyr.

"Listen up fuckers! This here is my Sky and your new leader. And if I have to drag your asses up for him to deal with, don't expect a quick and friendly death!" he said loudly.

That...was not how they were expecting this to go.

"Hmph. What can you and that trashy girl do to us?" sneered the Sun officer.

Squalo grinned, much like the shark he was named after.

The Sun officer suddenly let out a wet gasp as the 'trashy girl' with the green hair had her elbow deep in his stomach to the point there was blood on her.

"Don't diss the fashionista, darlings~!" she grinned, as she proceeded to make short work of the now ex-Sun officer. If he wasn't claimed by the end of the week, he'd be dumped in the mass grave out in the back.

The Rain Officer took one look at the bloodthirsty way Squalo was looking at him and openly flinched.

No way he was going to wait for the brat to challenge him. He'd rather retire first. Mammon smirked and openly handed him the official paperwork they happened to have on hand, having anticipated his reaction.

Xanxus merely strode into the castle, gave everyone an unimpressed look and didn't even try to let off his Sky Aura to make the various assassins in the castle to heel.

He didn't need that sort of crutch. He always found the idea of using his Flames to make the lesser idiots bow to him ridiculous.

There was using the reputation of the Sky Flame to get what you want, and then there was earning some actual _respect_ through your own merit without having to flout some special power to get it.

"I'm only going to say this once. Any of you fuckers want to try and take the position of Varia Leader from me are free to challenge me any time you want. If you can beat me you're free to claim it. Otherwise fuck off and follow my orders," he said bluntly, staring down any who were brave enough to meet his eyes.

Several brave fools tried to match his unrelenting gaze...only to realize their error and flinch when they realized that trying to match Xanxus in a staring contest was like trying to stare down a hungry tiger. He might look big and furry, but there was no mistaking the fact that he was a vicious, territorial predator perfectly capable of ripping your throat out and devouring your remains without a second thought.

Some poor fools did take him up on his challenge...only to end up very dead at the end of it. The fact he never once used his Flames to do the job, just pure skill and his guns earned him the respect of most. Those that didn't respect him at least had the sense not to bitch too loudly about it within anyone's hearing.

They could be patient and wait for their new potential Sky to slip up. After all, in the Varia weakness was a death sentence.

Though it didn't take long for the assassins to figure out Mammon's actual motivation for updating the library... after catching their new leader in there reading a random book twice in the same week (not the same one either), it was pretty obvious that the Mist had known the Wrath was coming to take over the castle and the group.

Though Squalo and Luss found it amusing that the one thing the Varia couldn't get over was the fact that the Boss actually had really vibrant green eyes, not the bloody red that most saw. Some of the "male" Varia had taken one look at Xanxus wearing his glasses with proper lighting while reading (his eyes were bothering him from the contacts) and had promptly shared this rather unusual news with the other "males".

Xanxus made it clear he didn't give a damn what gender people claimed they were, so long as they did their job. Case in point, his Sun.

Though if he found it irritating that the "males" of the castle were now giving him speculative looks he last saw in the slums, he made no sign of it.

Squalo, on the other hand now had a new source of irritation as Xanxus used him for target practice with his well stocked liquor cabinet.

Daniela was very amused that her grandson had promptly dove into said cabinet the first chance he had (after all, who was going to tell the Varia Leader he couldn't drink because he was underage when he now had every reason to shoot said idiot in the face), but she also became a willing enabler to his drinking habits. If he got a hangover, that was his own problem and he'd be better off learning not to mix drinks on his own.

Mammon apparently agreed, because they kept the cabinet well stocked without a word and quietly enjoyed Xanxus suffering from some rather nasty hangovers...which he promptly used as an excuse to throw things at his Rain whenever he came in to deliver paperwork.


	5. Chapter 5

Xanxus was suffering from what he considered a mild hangover. With no adult to tell him he wasn't allowed near the good booze, he had more or less dove right into that cabinet without a second thought. He quickly found he had certain preferences, and that never included the weak wine he was allowed around the shitty old geezer.

Timoteo was of the opinion only those 'of age' were allowed to drink proper booze (Xanxus knew he was being a fucking hypocrite, because Daniela had told him stories of how her son had started drinking when he was sixteen and how she had taken great pleasure in making him suffer through subsequent hangovers) and thus made certain he was only allowed to order a set amount of wine before he was forcibly cut off. Worse yet, the wine was never strong enough to give him a decent buzz in the least.

So it was only natural that when he came downstairs to reach the kitchen that he was less than amused at finding his crappy Storm Officer (one of many who had been less than pleased by the fact that he hadn't _earned_ the title Varia Leader the traditional way, but smart enough not to bitch too loudly about it) made into bloody chunks with a blond child barely older than he was when he first went Flame Active giggling like a little kid who had been up to something quite naughty.

He was not being paid enough to deal with this shit. Hell, the old geezer was still pissy he took over the Varia in the first place without giving him a warning!

Xanxus looked at Mammon, who had drifted over once they detected the intruder in the wards.

"Miser brat. What do the rules say about murderous little fuckers under ten killing an officer?"

"The rules are quite clear and make no mention of age, Boss. If he's capable of fulfilling the usual requirements then he's your new Storm Officer, or to be placed under the officer who shares his strongest Aspect," said Mammon.

Xanxus glared at the giggling blond. He was squinting quite a bit before Mammon sighed and floated the glasses to him.

Xanxus had _the_ worst habit of forgetting them, since he wore contacts most of the time. So much so that Daniela had, as a joke mind you, made a point to put a pair of his prescription in every Vongola (and recently Varia) owned base and safe house so he would never be without his glasses if he somehow ended stranded.

Most of the Varia found this to be quite hilarious, so much so that it became something of an unofficial joke to "find the glasses" before settling in or doing anything. They knew they found them when they located a glasses case with a tiger that had red feathers along it's mane and green eyes. Generally they put them back in a random location, to make it harder for the next people to visit to find them.

The brat giggled like a loon, staring at Xanxus.

Xanxus, on the other hand was not in the mood to deal with the kid's shit this early in the morning (it was almost noon).

He strode right up to the brat, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck (which made the kid act like a misbehaving kitten) and looked the brat dead in what he hoped was the eyes.

"Ushishishi... Put the Prince down, peasant!" said the brat.

Xanxus glared at him, unmoved.

"Look you little shit. You might be the new 'prince' of my Storm division but in this castle I am fucking _King_ and you will obey me."

"And if the prince refuses to obey the fake king?" sneered the brat.

Oh it was so on now.

Xanxus didn't even think twice. He walked right over to where the nearest chair was, flipped it right side up and then put the brat over his knee and tanned his ass red. The kid squalled like a wet cat.

"Let's get one thing fucking clear brat. Either you obey my orders or I'll do worse than simply tan your sorry hide when you piss me off. I'm not above using little shits like you for target practice with my guns," sneered Xanxus.

The kid openly glared at him, not happy at having someone actually discipline him.

"You got a name brat?"

"The prince does not give his name to annoying peasants," snarked the kid.

He was really not in the mood to deal with this.

"Well until you give me a proper name, your new one is going to be Belphegor," he said flatly. Spotting his Sun, he smirked. "Luss! I got a new dress up dummy for you. Make sure this little shit is properly outfitted before dinner!"

Lussuria squealed, and had the less than pleased "Prince" in her lair before he could get a word in edgewise.

Mammon watched the entire thing with amusement. They could tell this was going to be hilarious and profitable, if they played their cards right.

* * *

The newly named Belphegor was not having a good day. It had started out so well too! He had found a nice castle to claim, taken out the loud mouth who had mocked his crown, and was showing all the peasants who the boss was.

Then that man with the strange green eyes had shown up and everything had gone to hell in his opinion. No one had dared to lay a hand on the Prince before, and lived to tell the tale! Worse, he had more or less handed him over to that annoying woman who fluttered about! She didn't even have the decency to stay bleeding when he stabbed her, just tutted at him and poked him with a needle every time he tried!

How dare that peasant call himself a king! He would show that fool who the real royalty was around here.

Catching a delicious smell, he followed his nose straight to the kitchens...where he found the peasant handing out bowls of stew to the other peasants.

What a joke... no real king would dare serve food like a commoner!

His stomach growled, traitorously reminding him it had been some time since he had last acquired food. He had learned a lot of unpleasant things since running away from his family.

Hearing the growl, the older men (and lone woman) looked at him. He was unceremoniously hauled up to one of the stools.

"Eat brat. You're no good to anyone if you're half-assing things on an empty stomach," said Squalo, handing him a bowl and some fresh bread.

Belphegor didn't touch a single thing until he saw the older man roll his eyes and take a bite first of his soup.

Hunger won over paranoia. The older ones looked amused at how quickly he ate the stew and bread.

"Eat slower brat. Your stomach needs time to expand and absorb the food. We're not going to steal it from you," said the fake King.

Belphegor glowered at him, but that was around the time the food properly started to kick in. He was feeling very sleepy, and almost passed out on the chair.

The fake King caught him before he blacked out.

* * *

 _Third POV_

"Voi. So you're really going to keep him as the Storm officer?"

"He killed the shit fair and square with no outside assistance. Nothing in the rules mentions age, though he's not going on any solo missions until he's at _least_ thirteen," said Xanxus firmly, scooping up the brat with one arm.

The kid was clearly exhausted, not used to being a runaway. If he really was a prince this was likely the first time he had to do anything on his own, without any help from adults and servants.

Xanxus remembered all too well the way he had been thrown into the deep end in the Iron Fort. He was often paranoid out of his mind, too proud to ask for help until Daniela found him. He had felt like he was drowning, with no idea what end was up and how he was supposed to survive. And in the slums that had always ended up in a very quick end...even if getting there was painful and bloody.

"Where's the boy going to sleep? It's going to take at least three days for us to clean out the Storm Officer's room," said Mammon.

"Let him sleep in the office. I'll take my tiger form and keep an eye on the kid until the room is clean or he adjusts first."

Xanxus had some long couches in his office, and a personally crafted bed in his room. The office was impersonal enough that no one would believe he was sleeping with the kid, and anyone stupid enough to imply such a thing was going to end up on the wrong end of some pissed off Elements.

Seeing the boss take extra care bundling the blond child up and putting him on the couch to sleep off the first real meal he must have had since running away, Lussuria grinned. Mammon...was too busy taking pictures to sell to Daniela later.

Daniela would coo at them before poking fun at the grumpy dragon that was her favorite grandson.

The moment Xanxus heard the kid start to stir, he grinned and turned into his tiger form, which he called "Erebus".

Belphegor took one look at the massive face of the tiger staring him down with amused red eyes (Xanxus had put his contacts in) and made a very "un-princely" yelp.

(Mammon would later congratulate themselves on making sure that they had multiple cameras ready to blackmail Belphegor years later... no matter how much he denied yelping at meeting Erebus, they would gleefully bring out video evidence that he did.)

Belphegor tried to back away, but was prevented by the couch. So he could only stare baffled when the tiger picked him up gently by the scruff of his new shirt...and proceeded to treat him like a cub.

Squalo walked in, took one look at what was happening and started cracking up.

"I see you've meet Erebus," he said cackling.

"Unhand me this instant, you stupid cat!" hissed Belphegor, trying to fend off the tiger's tongue. The cat merely pinned him down better and continued to treat him like an errant cub that needed to be cleaned. It had a rumbling purr and it was pretty obvious it wasn't about to move anytime soon.

"Don't bother trying to fight Erebus off... fucking cat is quicker than he looks and twice as vicious when he's annoyed with you. That is, when he's not being a lazy bed hog and stealing your food."

Xanxus gave Squalo an evil look. Squalo glared right back... he had more than once been the victim of Xanxus in a pranking mood, and his loud "VOI!" could be heard more than once when Xanxus stole his food in tiger form, or worse, pinned his Rain down and did the same thing he was doing to Belphegor now.

Lussuria found it amusing and happily brushed the cat's fur...in between finding a way to clip feathers or other tasteful accessories into his fur or on his ear.

The only reason Xanxus didn't have a piercing yet was because he hadn't found one he actually _liked_.

Mammon... well, the Mist was fine with it so long as they were allowed to take plenty of blackmail pictures and never had to suffer the indignity of tiger slobber. That being said there were a few suspicious pictures of a massive viper happily sunning itself on the large tiger that had Fantasma sitting nearby.

(Mammon would never live down the near heart attack Xanxus had given the Mist when they found out he was a parselmouth. Viper had literally shifted back in shock when Xanxus had hissed right back at them and they actually _understood_ the snarky remark!)

Belphegor was very put out at the tiger spit bath, and positively hissy when he had to take a real one before bed. Never mind that he wouldn't be able to sleep in his new room for a few days at least.

Xanxus was surprisingly patient with his behavior.

"I don't get it...why does boss put up with that spoiled brat?" asked one mook.

Squalo snorted.

"Vongola Nono threw his ass into the lion's pride and didn't bother to make sure the Boss could fit in. He made Coyote do it, and that fucker hated boss from the start because his mother was a whore and he thinks that she tempted the Ninth or some bullshit. The only one who bothered to sit down and explain anything to him was the Eighth, who pretty much blackmailed her son into handing over the Boss to raise. I think he only did it so she wouldn't have reason to come more often and 'correct' his behavior and decisions," said Squalo.

"So..."

"So the boss looks at this brat, who's clearly out of his element and had no idea what he did when he killed that idiot, and sees himself. That and he's always been partial to kids."

It would surprise many that Xanxus occasionally babysat the kids that the other women of "distinguished age" brought with them when they had tea with Daniela. He was surprisingly good with small children, who were in endless awe of the fact that a much bigger kid was willing to play with them and even humored them with their games without complaining once.

And that was before the endless fascination with Erebus the great white tiger with red (or sometimes green) eyes gave them. They certainly didn't mind the tiger spit, especially since he let them ride him.

Belphegor balked at sharing the sunk in baths... Xanxus was a firm believer in not giving a shit in regards to public nudity...he had nothing to be ashamed of, after all and his scars were battle prizes in his opinion.

The blond prince openly sulked, but at least _listened_ when Xanxus told him how to work the showers, and where he could find the shampoo, conditioner and body wash. He wasn't going to baby the brat, and he was more than old enough to wash himself. If he tried to escape without getting clean (not likely, considering Belphegor was very much like a cat that preferred being clean), then Xanxus or Squalo would toss him into the baths instead.

The boy was not happy, but he knew when to shut up and follow orders. Even if he did have to wear a spare shirt as a nightgown, at least until Luss could order some clothes his size. And he would not admit to falling asleep to the rumbling sound of Erebus snoring next to him protectively.


	6. Chapter 6

"Voi... that is beyond cute," said Squalo in an uncharacteristic show of tact. He was also holding a camera, as he had been quick to grab Mammon from their room along with a few things to get blackmail with. The Mist had shut up rather effectively when they saw what he wanted to show them, and was quietly snapping multiple photos from all angles of the sight, silently cackling at the amount of money to be made off of Daniela.

Belphegor had, at some point during the night, rolled off the couch and onto Erebus. He was sprawled on top of the massive tiger, snoring without any idea what he was sleeping on. It was ridiculously cute, since Xanxus hadn't even bothered to roll over or anything and just looked amused. He was also very much awake.

Seeing the little princeling yawn, then squawk when his 'bed' moved from under him was _hilarious_.

Belphegor stared up at the massive tiger who merely stretched, before wandering out the hall and out of sight.

Xanxus came in three minutes later looking thoroughly amused.

"Alright brat, first we feed you then we're leaving you in Luss' tender mercies for the day while we arrange to get the room cleaned."

Squalo and Mammon snorted at that... leaving Belphegor with the resident fashionista was as much a punishment as anything, since Luss would likely spend all day putting the boy through what could only be described as legal torture and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Mammon, do you want to help babysit the brat, or do you want to help with arranging the room?"

"Mu... someone has to keep that Sun of yours from going overboard on the budget. Keep it simple and sane," said the Mist after a moment.

"...I'll give you spending money to buy those caramel-drizzled frogs you like so much."

"Suddenly the room budget has gotten a bit more reasonable," said Mammon after hearing that.

They were not ashamed that Xanxus was aware of their weakness to the caramel-drizzled chocolate frogs that were nearly impossible to get. Mostly because they sold out the second they were in stock.

If Belphegor knew the doom that was in store for him, he made no sign of it. Then again, he had never gone shopping with Luss.

Squalo wasn't the only one cackling at the shell-shocked look on the little brat's face when he came back. Even if he now had some clothes that fit. On the plus side, Belphegor's new room would be ready by tomorrow.

* * *

 _Belphegor POV_

The prince was...confused. Yes, that was the word for it.

The fake King had taken him in easily enough, even if he had to experience some minor hazing from his court. There were only three of them for now, as the Lightning and the Cloud were entirely untrustworthy.

Belphegor liked Mammon. They had the proper respect towards noble lines and was quick to verify his crown was the genuine article...even if his title as Prince was now up for debate.

So the Prince was very surprised learning the fake King might not be fake at all.

Xanxus, or rather "Alexander Vongola-Black", was the heir to _two_ ancient and noble lines in England, and was distantly connected to several of the Vongola Primo's generation, including the man himself!

The second Belphegor learned the annoying man who had dared to lay a hand on his person ranked him, he had sulked for a good hour. It meant he couldn't do half the things he normally did when he was back home on him to make him pay.

Mammon hadn't stopped there... they had gone on to explain exactly what he had done when he had killed that peasant and why no one had actually bothered to stop him. Xanxus hadn't been joking when he called himself "King" of the castle. As Varia Sky, he was effectively the lord and master of the group, and the others were his loyal minions or had the sense to listen to orders and seethe in silence.

It was very much a place where the law of the jungle was in effect. Which meant that as the new Varia Storm (Mammon confirmed he had the right Flame type for the position) there were now only three people he had to take orders from.

They were in order Lussuria (the strange woman who acted far too manly to be a natural female), Squalo (who despite many, many protests did most of the administrative work) and Xanxus (who despite evidence to the contrary, did in fact do actual work).

What he couldn't understand was why the "Boss", as many called Xanxus, was being so tolerant of his bratty behavior. Even _he_ knew that he was being a spoiled prick worse than his ass of a twin, and yet the man merely rolled his eyes at the antics.

Belphegor suddenly squawked indignantly when one of the older, taller Storms he was now in charge of grabbed him by the belt and sneered at him.

Belphegor drew his knives and snarled back, like an irate cat. He could muddle through most languages... he was a genius after all...but this one was unfamiliar to him.

The Storm sneered and then did something unforgivable.

He took the Prince's crown.

Belphegor saw red...Storm red, to be exact.

The man yelped as Belphegor went on the offensive to retrieve his precious crown. This peasant didn't deserve it, and he refused to let the man taint it.

He only got to enjoy the brief death rattle before he was hauled up a second time by an unamused Xanxus. The taller male had his crown and was looking rather irritable with the idiot Storms.

"You fuckers were too stupid to let the brat get settled in before you tried to pick him off. If you were too weak to challenge the idiot before some random kid who wandered in was able to kill him off, then there's no way I'm letting you be Storm Officer by attacking someone who's still learning the ramifications of his stunt," said Xanxus flatly, spitting to the side in disgust. He made sure to glare at everyone in the room making sure they understood him loud and clear. "There is a no-challenge policy on the brat until he's been here for at least a year. If he can't become Quality in that time he's fair game, but until then deal with the fact he's staying. I catch any of you trying to murder him because you were too scared or weak to kill the previous fucker properly, then you'll deal with me personally."

"We're not following some spoiled kid!" snapped one of the Storms.

Xanxus' glare shut him up.

"The fucker didn't even know where he wandered into and still managed to kill a trained Officer in cold blood. I'm only giving him a grace period because of his age...if he can't become Quality enough to take any of you assholes on then it's not my problem," said Xanxus flatly. "Or do you expect a spoiled little noble with stolen knives to reasonably take on multiple challengers when he's not even trained yet?"

Dead silence. Belphegor fought the urge to stare at the boss.

Some might see it as favoritism, but he understood the real meaning behind the grace period before he allowed the usual rules to apply.

He was giving the Prince a chance to prove he could swim, rather than sink in this den of vicious predators. To earn their respect as one of them on his own terms, once he wasn't floundering from the sudden change.

Xanxus carried him to his office, before setting him down on the couch.

"Why are you being so nice to the Prince?" asked Belphegor curious. Most nobles wouldn't have hesitated to let him flounder, or had ulterior motives. He didn't sense any of that from the Boss.

"I'm not. I'm going to train your scrawny ass off until you can take those fuckers on and _win_. You're not my first choice for a Storm Officer, but you killed him fair and square without knowing anything of the consequences. Besides, I know all too well what it's like to be thrown into a new environment without anyone on my side to explain things or give me help. I'm not going to molly coddle you or sugarcoat anything... you are going to _earn_ the position of Storm Officer properly through blood and tears...but I'm not going to let those fuckers kill you because you're still not ready to teach them not to mess with you," said Xanxus flatly.

Belphegor's eyes were firmly on his crown. Xanxus looked at it for a moment, before he gently put it on the prince's head.

He felt himself relax again... he didn't know how he would react if anything happened to his crown. He might not be a prince anymore!

"So the crown is like a security blanket to you, is it?" said Xanxus. He _gently_ ruffled Belphegor's hair, careful not to dislodge it.

He did not cry. This was the nicest anyone had been to him, bar none, in far too long. Xanxus didn't act like he was a helpless child...he treated him like he had a brain and knew how to actually use it. However he also knew that there were some things he couldn't do just yet and made a point to adjust accordingly.

"VOI! What happened in the training room earlier?"

"Some idiots thought they could take the position of Storm Officer by attacking the brat while he was still adjusting, rather than do it properly. I'm not about to tolerate lazy fuckers too scared to earn their place the right way," said Xanxus.

* * *

Belphegor was looking for the Boss. Ever since the warning that the Wrath wouldn't tolerate anyone trying to off the bratty prince until he had a chance to get to Quality standards since he had wandered in without knowing anything and _still_ managed to kill an officer, he had quickly come to realize that he was effectively under the man's protection.

Not that it saved him during training, but the Boss at least set limits he could reasonably handle and made it clear that if he gave him an almost impossible task, it was because he honestly _believed_ the Prince could handle it.

And when he managed to accomplish that in the time frame given, the boss would praise him. He didn't do it often, just a quite "well done" or "good job". But coming from a man who didn't hand out praise easily and expected people to earn what they got the old fashioned way without taking short cuts or the easy way, the praise was worth more than gold to him.

Finally Squalo clued the princeling in to where Xanxus was. Seeing the Boss recline against the couch with a book in hand and his glasses on rather than his usual contacts, Belphegor blinked.

Though by this point he had come to terms with the fact that Xanxus' natural eye color was actually a very "eye-catching" shade of green, while his preferred color was actually a bloody red that Belphegor absolutely adored.

Xanxus made no sign he noticed the prince. Outside of training Belphegor rarely spent any one on one time with the Boss, who paid Mammon to get Belphegor up to speed on the less physical aspects of the job... like the seven-language requirement. Lussuria (who he learned from Squalo wasn't a natural woman, but one who had undergone a procedure before puberty properly hit to become one), focused on the conditioning aspect and increasing his endurance and health.

Xanxus, on the other hand? He was the one in charge of getting him to use his natural genius to be able to take down bigger, stronger opponents by being a tricky little bastard rather than face them head on. He might not be able to attack them directly, but using trickery and his brain to take them down? That he not only could do with the proper guidance, but he excelled and enjoyed it.

By this point he was sadly used to being picked up like an errant kitten, so he didn't squawk. Much.

Sitting on the boss' lap, he tried to figure out what the man was reading...only for Xanxus' deep, rumbling voice to speak up. It took him a few seconds to realize the man was _reading_ for him.

It was strangely soothing, and he didn't even notice when he was reclining against the older male and just _relaxing_. Or when Xanxus wrapped his arm securely around him in a sort of half-hug, only moving his hand to turn the page and continue.

No one had ever read to him before. He had never seen the appeal of reading outside of finishing his assignments early to do more interesting things. It was unbecoming of a prince to be uneducated after all. He might as well be a peasant if he didn't know things, like how to do real math or read!

And yet here he was, happily leaning against Xanxus as the older teen read to him from a book of Greek myths. It took him a few seconds before he realized something his mind had dismissed.

More than a few times he had gone looking for that blasted oversized cat Erebus. If only to dump paint in it's fur or something as payback for all the tiger baths.

Hearing the story of the old, old Greek myths of the children of Chaos (Erebus, Gaia, Tartarus and Nyx), he turned to look at Xanxus.

"You. You're that overgrown furball who insists on drenching me in tiger spit all the time."

A deep rumbling chuckle filled the air as he looked down at the kid amused.

"It took you this long to figure it out?"

Belphegor pouted. He had known Xanxus had magic... the man wasn't even trying to hide his core which was loose, yet well defined. The man was a master at wandless magic and only used his focus when he felt like it. For him magic was a tool to be used, nothing more.

So the idea of him being an animagus was well within the realms of reason.

That, and it explained why all his pranks backfired so spectacularly.

Belphegor instead decided to snuggle closer to the furnace that was Xanxus. The man practically radiated a very nice amount of heat without it becoming unpleasant, and it was rare that he had a chance to enjoy it.

Squalo came in right as Xanxus was reading the chapter explaining how Aphrodite was caught with Ares by a vindictive Hephaestus (which Belphegor privately thought fit the Boss better than Erebus) when Squalo came in with a less than amused expression.

"The Ninth is about to make a visit. We got lucky and a mook caught his car heading this way," said the Rain.

Xanxus put a bookmark in the spot and an unhappy Belphegor got up with great reluctance. The Wrath rolled his eyes and merely scooped the boy up with one arm. With his other hand he easily swapped out his glasses for his red contacts out of long practice. A few blinks and he looked every inch the Varia Leader.

As Squalo predicted, Vongola Nono was making an unscheduled visit. The only reason they had any warning at all was Xanxus forcing the Storm mooks to do patrols so they didn't get any ideas of targeting Belphegor before the grace period was over.

Belphegor took one look at Vongola Nono...and was immediately struck by an image of an old, broke-toothed lion with battle scars that wasn't too bright in the head facing off against a tiger in his element who clearly disliked the lion but had to put up with his presence anyway.

This was going to be interesting.


	7. Chapter 7

Xanxus was absolutely disgusted it had taken three months for word to reach the Ninth about the new Varia Storm being a child. What was Vongola Intelligence doing if they didn't notice the fact that the Storm had been replaced?

He was even more annoyed the old fucker was trying to convince him to hand over Belphegor to someone else. The Varia was no place for a child in his opinion.

"Fuck off old man. The brat killed the previous Storm and his Flame type matches, so he has a fair chance to stay as the new Officer. The rules about ascension make no mention of age, and he's bloodthirsty enough to fit right in once the grace period is over."

"Grace period?" blinked Timoteo.

"You really think I'd throw a child into the jungle without giving him a chance to find his own footing first? I don't throw children into unfamiliar environments and expect them to figure things out on their own with little to no support."

Unlike you, went unsaid but heavily implied.

"I see."

"No, you don't. I'll train the fucker for a year and then throw him to the wolves. The Storms all have one shot to take the brat out and they can't attack all on the same day."

He would allow a total of seven Storms who thought they could kill the new Officer to attack, and not all at once. However that meant that they would have to wait two days before the next batch of idiots could go after the kid. That gave Belphegor a chance to rest and the Storms a chance to devise a new strategy.

And while some might claim he was showing a bit too much favoritism to the lone child in the group, Xanxus had a valid reason for setting things up like this. One that had even the hardasses shutting up.

By giving them one shot to take out the kid and claim the spot, he was giving them incentive to train. Limiting it to a set amount every three days meant that the boy could prove he could handle multiple opponents all in the same day, while providing the next set a chance to adjust their original strategy after seeing him fight. If a half-trained child could survive that sort of test, then clearly he had _earned_ his new titles as Storm Officer, rather than got lucky.

And if he died, then Xanxus would wait another three months while the winner defended his new position from the other Storms. Xanxus was _not_ making anything official until the pecking order had been firmly established among the hot headed morons. Setting the kid loose as their Officer had destabilized it enough... Xanxus was firmly in damage control mode concerning the Varia's internal politics.

"I don't like this."

"And I don't give a fuck. You might be the Vongola Don, but this is the fucking Varia. You have no say in how we choose our men or our officers any more than you do CEDEF," said Xanxus, staring down the old man.

Timoteo, predictably, looked away first.

"This isn't the path I would have chosen for you son," said Timoteo.

"Just like my Guardians aren't the ones you would have picked for your brats. Unlike my brothers, I chose loyalty and ability over politics and the ability to kiss someone's ass. I _trust_ them with my life... can you say the same for Enrico's shitty Guardians who barely know how to shoot the broadside of a barn?"

"I don't want my sons to have murderers at their side."

"Newsflash asshole, this isn't some petty civilian politics that they're playing with. This is the fucking Cosa Nostra where if you're weak they'll eat you alive. Just because the Vongola is one of the strongest famiglias around doesn't mean there aren't wolves at the door waiting to take your sons away from you because they strut about like cocks in the henhouse. I'd rather not have to go to any funerals because you got fucking complacent and refuse to open your eyes to reality," snapped Xanxus.

Timoteo would only look back on this conversation two months later...and weep because Xanxus had _known_ what would happen and he still did nothing. The loss of Enrico had come as a shock, especially when he found out that it could have been prevented by Vongola Intelligence being at the top of their game and doing their jobs.

* * *

Belphegor stared down the last of his opponents with a sneer. Xanxus had made the rules clear to everyone, and not even the traditionalists had complained that much about them. While they had disliked the idea of a grace period, they could accept the reasoning that the Prince needed training before he could remotely take on _trained_ Varia Storms. His initial kill was a fluke... now was the time he could prove he was truly Varia Quality.

And he had survived. Sometimes beaten and bruised, and more than a few times his other self had come out to slaughter more than a few of his opponents, but he had pulled it off.

He even had a proper nickname now among the mooks, who were starting to treat him with a wary sort of respect one would give a rabid animal.

Prince the Ripper, after the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. The irony was not lost to him, as he was well aware that the Boss was actually English born. He bore his new title with pride and no little amount of glee.

Now if only the Boss would quit treating him like a tiger cub while he was out of his human form.

The prince gleefully ripped into the mook, who died with a satisfying death rattle. Xanxus shot off one of his guns, silencing any attempts to make noise.

"Any more bitching about the kid being the new Storm Officer?" he asked flatly.

The observation deck was utterly silent. Most of the complaining had died off within the third week of the 'testing'. These were just the most stubborn morons who refused to believe that he was actually dangerous, but smart enough to let him be worn down by all the others.

The only thing Belphegor wanted to do was curl up and sleep for a week. He was utterly exhausted, but at least now none of the old timers couldn't bitch about him not earning his place among them because of his age.

Luss fussed over him, before plopping him down in the small kitchenette that the more paranoid of the Varia used because they didn't trust the professional cooks that made the meals.

Or in the case of Xanxus, because they enjoyed cooking and didn't feel like fighting for space. He usually left the leftovers on the stove for anyone to come up and grab if they were hungry and didn't want to fight the crowds in the main hall. They rarely lasted a full night, or were devoured by morning.

If Xanxus wanted to kill them, he wouldn't bother with poisoning them. He'd shoot them outright in the face.

Belphegor eagerly accepted his bowl of food and the bread... he had learned early on that Xanxus was actually a natural cook. He had only gotten better with proper lessons in the more fancy dishes, but he always preferred simple, easy to make food compared to the multi-course monstrosities that the prince was used to.

Once he finished (leaving almost nothing left, to the amusement of the actual teens who had been equally ravenous) he went over and plopped into Xanxus' lap without a word.

Xanxus had made it perfectly clear that around the mooks and the rest of the world, he was the Boss and thus couldn't be seen coddling him or showing him too much favor.

But alone, when it was just him and his Guardians? He could let his real self show. Belphegor treasured his stuffed tiger doll that Xanxus had given him when he was finally able to start lasting a full hour against the older, more vicious Wrath. When they were around Xanxus could actually let his guard down, the older teen treated him firmly like a treasured member of the family. As if Belphegor was his little brother in all but blood.

Which meant the prince had quickly gotten used to being scooped up and settled against the Wrath, or listening to the boss read from one of the many books he had lying around when things were relatively calm. He didn't even care about being picked up by Erebus and treated like a cub, since the tiger didn't mind him riding him like a horse.

For the first time in his life he was wanted and treated like actual family. Even if he found the medication they made him take annoying. He didn't know why he had to take the specially designed pills every morning, just that Luss insured he did.

Xanxus rolled his eyes and let the little princeling snuggle up against him. He had earned it.

"Just so we're clear brat, you're never going on a solo mission until you're thirteen. Mammon has graciously agreed to be your semi-permanent partner," said Xanxus.

Only because the Mist had found out very quickly Belphegor had absolutely no sense when it came to money. Oh, he knew how to balance his bank account... he just didn't _care_. He had born to some a rather well-off royal line and never had to worry about such things and it showed.

It also meant that they could gouge him for minor fees and he wouldn't bitch about it.

That being said... Belphegor perked up when he saw the bowl of ice cream put down.

"Enjoy it brat. You earned it."

"So what are we going to do to reward the little princeling?" asked Luss.

She still found the boss' private nickname for the bratty blond hilarious.

"And how is he prince when everyone knows Squalo is the second in command?" asked Mammon.

"Same principles that allow there to be multiple princes in the British monarchy," rumbled Xanxus. "He's close enough to the royal line to carry the title, but distant enough that inheriting isn't likely to happen any time in his lifetime unless a major shift occurs like everyone in the main line is wiped out or rendered incapable."

"You know it's really weird that I keep forgetting Boss is technically British," said Squalo.

Taking a look at the teen and you'd never guess he wasn't born Italian.

"I still find it amusing that instead of hoarding gold, he hoards books," said Mammon.

"Still qualifies," rumbled Xanxus.

"I know that, but most people think of hoarding shiny things when they think dragons, even if you haven't quite gotten the hang of the transformation yet."

* * *

Xanxus was in a foul mood. While the matter of Belphegor's status as Storm Officer had been settled once and for all (he was still a brat, but at least he respected Xanxus enough to behave to a certain extent...and stabbed anyone who made fun of his title as prince) there were still rumors that had him digging in to his paperwork trying to find something to shoot at.

That was when he started hearing rumors of a coup against the Vongola.

He was not happy. While he couldn't stand the Ninth generation he was fond of his nonna and to a smaller extent his brothers... even if they were a pain in the ass.

"Voi. Still no idea who's trying to take power from the old bastard?" asked Squalo.

"Whoever it is, they're hiding their tracks."

If Xanxus hadn't already known he was adopted, he would have suspected _himself_ of trying to claim the title of heir. After all, Massimo was a joke and Federico wasn't nearly strong enough to hold the famiglia together. And forget Iemitsu... that asshole had happily taken the role of External Adviser and head of CEDEF, which meant that he was excluded unless everyone else died first.

Even if some of the families in the Alliance were starting to whisper that perhaps now was the time for the youngest Vongola son to rise and take his place as heir. Xanxus knew it was pointless... his only connection to the Vongola was through Giotto, and it was blood-locked to his specific branch of the family. The odds of him being able to successfully claim the ring were so damn low it wasn't worth the headache.

Besides, he was king of his castle and in no mood to have even _more_ reason for the shitheads that made up the Ninth Generation to bother him already! If he was the Decimo, he'd have to listen to them bitch and moan on top of the paperwork, and he had no interest in that! He _liked_ being head of the Varia!

Xanxus growled...whoever was staging a coup was making his relatively calm days hectic. Especially since he knew better than to trust Iemitsu to actually _do_ his job.

"Voi...maybe you should visit Daniela. She might have some ideas...and you know she adores spoiling the prince brat," said Squalo.

Xanxus rubbed his tired eyes.

"Fuck it. I'm visiting Nonna tomorrow... I have a splitting headache and her usual tea group should be around so they might have some ideas of where to look," said Xanxus.

* * *

 _The next afternoon_

While Daniela wouldn't let him drink around the small children, just being away from the paperwork and the crazies that made up the Varia was helping his mood immensely.

"So you heard someone is going to try and stage a coup within the Vongola?" said Daniela, sipping her coffee.

"From what I heard, you were the one preparing something big," commented another.

Xanxus let out a sarcastic laugh at that.

"Me, stage a coup? What would be the point? There's no way the rings would accept me to begin with and even if I did succeed it would mean having to put up with that annoying idiot currently in charge along with his menopausal Storm!" said Xanxus, editing his usual language in respect to the fact there were small kids under ten around.

"What do you mean the rings wouldn't accept you? Aren't you his son?" asked Lilou.

Daniela and Xanxus both shook their heads.

"My darling grandson belongs to a different branch of the Primo's original family. From what we found out, the Primo was actually the third son of another Sky-heavy family in England, only he left to make his own name and fortunes and ended up creating a branch line. Xanxus is from the 'main' branch, which means he's ineligible to inherit since his line is from an older, more established one," explained Daniela.

All the other women stared at Daniela.

"Tell them the rest. My birth mother was actually related to _three_ of the Primo's Guardians."

"Don't forget the fact that you're related through Daemon Spade through your paternal grandmother," said Daniela exasperated. "Considering the inbreeding issue over there, it's not as surprising as you'd think, though that many bloodlines managing to marry into each other is a bit odd unless they were naturally drawn together."

"Details, leave nothing out!" said Lilou. She loved tracking down old bloodlines and family histories.

Xanxus grinned, and it wasn't long before Belphegor was quietly sitting in his lap drinking his lemonade.

"As it turns out Lampo, the Lightning Guardian managed to knock up G's younger daughter and ended having three kids with her after the Primo disappeared off to Japan. From there the line more or less continued until only one descendant was left, a girl named Rosemary. The Primo's Cloud Alaude had a younger sister, and her descendants moved around a bit until one of them was in Germany where Rosemary met a young soldier from France named Matthew, who was Alaude's many times great-nephew. The two fell in love and had two children, Petunia and Lily. Petunia married some fat pig and has a son with a record that's been sealed until after he's old enough to be considered an adult, while Lily went and got married to some prick named James...who is in fact from the main line of the family that Giotto left behind in England, along with being indirectly related to Daemon because Daemon was from the French side of James' mother Dorea. So in a way I'm related to five of the seven men who made up the Primo's generation, though most of it is indirectly," explained Xanxus. "Never mind that apparently Giotto was nobility in his own right, which would explain how he even met Daemon and Lampo in the first place."

"Apparently the family Giotto left was an 'ancient and noble' house in England, even before he founded the Vongola. So in a way, our family is technically a noble one since it's a branch of Xanxus' original one," said Daniela openly amused.

The women were beyond fascinated.

"Wouldn't that mean that he has a stronger claim on the Vongola rings?" asked Lilou.

"It's locked to Giotto's branch, not the main one. And even if I did try to fold them back into the main family, then they would have to take _my_ name instead of being called Vongola. I don't know about you, but I don't find the name Potter to be as inspiring as Vongola...even if it does mean 'clam'," said Xanxus dryly. "Personally I'm just waiting for the perfect time to tell that old idiot that I've known from the start he wasn't my father... Never mind the fact we look nothing alike, the time line alone would have made it impossible for him to be my father."

Xanxus liked cold, hard fact. So much so that he had more or less confirmed that Timoteo wasn't his biological father by tracking down where the man was. He had been in a conference surrounded by several other mafioso for over a month during the time frame when he could have been conceived...and there had been no 'special entertainment' involved, so the only women he could have knocked up would have been females all too happy to try and sink their claws into the Vongola with an illegitimate child they could claim was the Ninth's.

A child would have been worth his weight in gold, even if the infant wasn't born in wedlock. After all, there were plenty of people all too eager to get their hands on the infamous Vongola bloodline.

Xanxus had no idea how this conversation would end up biting Timoteo and the Ninth generation in the ass less than a year later. Openly admitting to Daniela's gossip circle, who were all too happy to spread his actual heritage among the mafia elite since he honestly didn't care about it, that he wasn't Timoteo's son or even from the bloodline the man claimed he was meant that he had far more support after the incident. After all, he had made no bones that he wasn't interested in being Decimo and already knew he was ineligible from the start.


	8. Chapter 8

Squalo was absolutely miserable. How the fuck did it come to this? What the hell was the Ninth thinking, freezing the boss like that and claiming he was trying to take the rings by force?

Anyone who had regular interaction with Xanxus knew he didn't give a flying fuck about the title of Decimo, if only because he despised the Ninth generation and taking over would mean he'd have to deal with them more!

More to the point, the Ninth was using this as an excuse to put the screws to the Varia, claiming they needed "better management".

Better management his ass! Boss had them organized better than Tyr did when he was in charge, and even though he had gotten stuck with an underage Storm because of a fluke, he had made damn sure the kid would be able to handle it and that his Storms respected him properly as a full member! The old bastard had never liked Xanxus, even though he claimed him as son, and the feeling had been mutual!

Therefor it was little surprise when Squalo found himself cringing at the thought of explaining this to Daniela, who was sure to be very pissed when she found out the full story.

"Ah Squalo. I hope you're here to say my dear grandson is sick with something, because I can't think of any good reason he would _avoid_ me unless he got a girl knocked up and is trying to find a way to explain it to me before he does the right thing," said Daniela all pleasant like.

Squalo flinched.

"Voi, I wish. Boss isn't that stupid and he always carries his own protection for just that sort of thing," said Squalo.

Boss was _anything_ but celibate, but he wasn't stupid either. If he went out drinking, most times he found himself a very amicable bed partner who knew it was more or less a way to unwind or a one-night stand.

He had a reputation among the club crowd for being very considerate to his bed partners and never doing anything without protection, and for being a bit of a tiger in bed. More to the point there had yet to be any complaints about his performance...most girls came back for a repeat whenever they spotted him in clubs, and more than once he had multiple partners. Squalo had seen him walk out with two or three girls (and in one notable instance some rather hot triplets) quite a few times.

Squalo would honestly prefer it if Xanxus' paranoia about protection had failed and he _had_ knocked some random girl up!

Instead he bit the bullet.

"The Boss is gone."

"What do you mean gone?" asked Daniela, eyes narrowing him. "He's not..."

"The Ninth somehow got it in his head that the rumors about a coup against the Vongola were all because of Boss. He's claiming house arrest because we were trying to burn out some rats that had snuck into the main family that no one was doing anything about, hoping to smoke out the source...and when the Ninth confronted Boss something big happened and the bastard claimed that our attempts to install the Boss as Decimo failed. It was like suddenly he was there, then a void appeared. He's still alive, but that's all we know. We're not even allowed to see him," said Squalo in frustration.

Daniela was _pissed_. She knew her son was an idiot, but this was sounding worse than a case of bad communication skills! It was bad enough that her idiot son had continued the lie that Xanxus was his illegitimate son when by now most of the Alliance had heard the real story about him being adopted long before he was taken in by the Vongola!

Adopting a recently awakened Sky, even a Wrath like Xanxus wasn't unheard of. But continuing such an obvious lie and making it look like said Sky had a chance to actually _run_ the family when such things were often locked to the original bloodline? That was the height of idiocy.

"Explain everything," she said, growling. Heads were going to roll if she had anything to say about it! Thanks to the magical potions Xanxus was able to source her, she was feeling closer to fifty than her actual age. So much so that she rarely had to use her wheelchair to get around.

Her lifespan would be cut if she had to use her Sky Flames, but that was a small price to pay. No one was meant to live forever, after all.

Squalo began from the beginning, and the more he spoke, the angrier Daniela got.

So much so that quite a few things were beginning to smolder.

Someone was going to have a very, very bad day by the time she was through with them!

In the Iron Fort, Timoteo Vongola had a very nasty premonition that he was not going to like the consequences of freezing Xanxus.

* * *

 _Three months later, in an undisclosed location in Scotland..._

"The fourth champion... is Harry Potter!"

Dead silence. No one had seen the legendary Boy-Who-Lived since he was hidden away by Dumbledore. Some speculated that whatever he had done to end the Dark Lord had rendered him a squib, which was why he had never come to Hogwarts. Others believed he was training in a secret location to act as the champion of light should the Dark wizards ever decided to make a round two, at Dumbledore's orders.

So no one was even remotely prepared when, in a massive crack that sent the windows behind the staff table shattering like so many shards of ice, a scarred teen with some rather interesting hair accessories and a pissed off red-eyed gaze appeared without any warning.

He looked _nothing_ like the famous images of Harry Potter they had all seen in one form or another (most of them were pictures of James Potter with green eyes and a lightning scar).

The adults, once they got their wits about them, absconded with the mystery teenager into Madam Pomphrey's tender mercies as it was clear he was badly injured from something.

Many of the students began to wonder... who was this teen and was he the missing Boy-Who-Lived?

 _In the Hospital Wing, three days later..._

Xanxus woke up, pissed as hell and all too ready to rip someone's throat out...without being Erebus at the time.

On the plus side, he was alive and out of that fucking ice. On the down side, he still felt like shit and it wasn't improving his mood any.

Not to mention his guns were gone and his magic felt positively sluggish.

He squinted, and realized his contacts were missing. That pissed him off, because he didn't have his glasses on him at all.

He growled.

"Where am I?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I find it strange that you were summoned, considering the Goblet selected Harry Potter as champion...and he is but a boy of merely fourteen," said a voice pleasantly...and filled with the same bullshit "grandfatherly" persona crap Timoteo liked to use but couldn't quite pull off.

Grandfatherly aura, Hogwarts, the familiar feel of Sky (though it was clearly a tainted latent) and several clashing colors... there was only one thing that added up to.

"How the fuck should I know how I got summoned? Last thing I remember was the old man bitching about some bullshit that made absolutely no sense before putting my ass in stasis on a false charge," snapped Xanxus. "Though maybe whatever did the summoning latched on to the nearest Potter it could find, even if it was a branch line."

He brushed off the casual legilmency, which only further confirmed who he was dealing with.

It wasn't like he _lied_ after all. He had never gone by Harry Potter in his life, and he was technically a member of the branch line that most people didn't really know about.

"The Potters do not have a branch line."

"Shows what you know. One of the sons that wasn't due to inherit went and made a new family for himself under a new name in Italy four hundred years ago, and it's still around," snarked Xanxus. He had a roaring migraine, he couldn't see worth a shit, and he was not happy being stuck in this castle.

"May I inquire which family?"

Xanxus snorted derisively.

"Fuck you. If you didn't recognize who I am on sight then you don't have the clearance to know which family I'm from," he shot back.

The Italian Ministry was annoying enough about the whole mafia truce they had going on. He was not going to be the one responsible for the English sticking their nose in something they had no business dealing with.

Besides...he had that whole Boy-Who-Lived bullshit locked up tight under a special fidelius charm so no one ever figured out who Xanxus actually was.

"I see," said Dumbledore. He didn't sound too happy, but at least he wasn't forcing some fourteen year old to deal with this tournament. "I'm afraid that since the Goblet chose to summon you in lieu of Mr. Potter, you will have to compete in his place. May I at least have a name for the records?"

"Xanxus," he said simply, not bothering to give his surname. "And I seem to have lost my focus during the transition."

"We can arrange for you to visit Diagon once Madam Pomphrey clears you. I'm afraid you'll be the subject of much speculation from students and adults alike, however."

After all, they weren't expecting a fourth champion, much less someone who was summoned in place of Harry Potter!

* * *

Xanxus ditched his "minders" with laughable ease. He only needed some wand wood and a quiet place with a forge to remake his guns... he was overdue to replace them anyway, since the last pair were crude and falling apart. Wrath flames could be brutal on metal alone, and Flame treated metal was far too expensive even for him to use when he was just starting out.

Getting to the Varia safehouse was easy enough... he had the main ones memorized for just this sort of occasion. It was with great relief he was able to find his glasses from where the mooks stored them at random (thankful that his grandmother found the fact he always lost them funny enough to store extras in all the safe houses just in case) and was able to see properly again.

Like hell he was going to suffer squinting until his prescription was ready when he knew where an extra set was! He was still able to reorder his contacts (multiple sets) and acquire his usual prescription for his migraine medication from a Vongola-allied pharmacy. They just needed to see his ID to clear it without having to deal with all the red tape.

That done, he dove into the closest store and got spare clothing... there was no way he was dealing with magical England's fashion sense when he wasn't a student of their damn school and had already passed his secondary exams before he was frozen.

With his essential items finished (and his contacts to be delivered tomorrow, if not sooner) he went back to the magical alley where his minder was quite incensed with him for disappearing.

"Fuck off," he said curtly, not giving a shit about the old cat's angry hiss at his language. "You're not my mother and I needed to get actual supplies, not the overpriced crap you sell in the alley."

He waltzed right into Ollivanders and rather than deal with getting a wand he would never use, he asked bluntly "Where would I be able to acquire some wand wood?"

"I'm afraid I don't sell that sort of stock here. Only premade wands and the odd custom orders," admitted Ollivander.

"Do you know where I could find some?"

"Mr. Potter, we came here to insure you had a proper wand for the tournament!" hissed the old cat.

Xanxus stared her down, a tiger giving the old tabby a Look that said he was debating on turning her into his next snack. She shut up rather effectively.

"And I don't use a fucking wand. I custom made my focus for a reason, since waving around a stick that's basically euphemism for a dick isn't my idea of fun," he said flatly.

"A wand is _not_ a euphemism for...!"

Xanxus raised a single black eyebrow.

"So 'polishing a wand' isn't another way for your teenage students to say they intend to..."

Ollivander was openly entertained by this scene in front of him.

"If you can give me the wood that reacted best to you before, I can have some custom ordered and delivered to you. Until then you can always purchase one of my 'wands' to serve as a temporary replacement."

"Don't need one. Only use my focus for the more finicky spells and ones that need the amplifier," said Xanxus.

"A rare knack indeed, Mr. _Black_ ," said Ollivander. "One that has sadly fallen out of favor of late."

McGonagall stared at him for a moment.

"Why did you call him Mr. Black when he claims to be from a branch of the Potter family?"

"Ah, but he is still a Black as much as a Potter, though he claims the name of the branch line instead. A move worthy of a Viper, one would say."

Xanxus caught the double meaning. He snorted.

"Tell that foggy snake that I expect pictures when they inform the shark, the bratty prince and the brawler that I'm out," he said flatly.

Ollivander smirked in return.

"Only if you agree to share them," he countered.

"Fair enough, or you could ask for copies instead."

"Considering the information I'm about to share, they damn well better make extra copies for me to enjoy," said Ollivander with dark amusement.

McGonagall...just looked beyond confused as she couldn't catch even a bit of what was being unsaid between the two men.

* * *

 _In Italy, in the Varia castle..._

Mammon was going over their reports, still in a foul mood over the injustice to their cousin.

So it was only natural that, in the middle of drinking their preferred choice of drink that they stop, re-read what was in their hands...before doing an uncharacteristic spit take in shock.

Squalo barely had time to look up when Mammon literally teleported to his office, knocking the reports all over. This had to be important...and big...if the miser was messing up paperwork like this and not giving a damn.

"VOI! What..."

Mammon thrust the report into his hands.

Squalo decrypted the familiar cipher, before re-reading it again to confirm it.

His jaw dropped, uncaring of the fact Mammon was taking many, many pictures.

"Voi! Is this shit for real?"

"Easy enough to confirm... you know Boss wouldn't patiently wait when he knows the location of the safe house."

Squalo was already dialing the number of the mooks closest to the London safe house. Within fifteen minutes he got a very confused report.

" _Sir, the glasses are missing and Turpentine was among the last ones to move them,"_ said the mook.

"Go to the nearest Vongola-allied pharmacy and ask if anyone fitting the description of the boss came in to fill an order," said Squalo, not daring to hope. It didn't take long for them to confirm that someone had filled Xanxus' migraine medication order.

"Voi! How the fuck did he end up in England anyway?"

"Mu. There are a number of highly magical artifacts and rituals that could pull it off. One of them must have latched onto his core and dragged him there, accidentally freeing him from the ice. We need to keep this low-profile for now. If the Ninth finds out he's out again..."

"Voi. No need to tell me twice," said Squalo, catching on.

If the Ninth knew Xanxus out less than a year of being turned into ice (a very pissed off Daniela had explained what the Zero Point Breakthrough was and what it did), he might try something equally unpleasant while the boss was still recovering.

He was already trying to 'put out fires', so to speak, because Daniela and her gossip circle were spreading the actual truth of what happened, rather than what he was claiming. His reputation was at stake, since he couldn't actually nip the source of the counter rumors in the bud without doing even more damage to it.

After all, even the mafia had some lines that shouldn't be crossed without major political and social repercussions. Killing your own mother who was pissed at you for doing something stupid and trying to make the truth known was one of them.

Squalo called in Lussuria and Belphegor. Levi was a fucking thrall and they all knew it. While he would follow orders without hesitation or question, even Xanxus would have preferred a Lightning that had the balls to question things. He barely tolerated the man and only put up with his slavish loyalty because he had no one better currently lined up.

If he knew that the Boss was out and free, he'd stop at nothing to be at his side and that would blow the secret out of the water faster than anything else would. Belphegor and Lussuria, at least, knew when to be discreet and keep their damn mouths shut about what was really going on.

And yes, Mammon did take plenty of pictures at the disbelieving and hopeful expressions on their faces...even if they had to send their informant copies of them for him to laugh at.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay a little clarification about Xanxus' age. Physically and mentally he's at LEAST 16-17. His birth certificate however claims he's 14. I don't see the mafia NOT abusing the hell out of time turners just to keep their kids from being tied down to the magical enclaves, especially since they have enough trouble with the Vindice already. Which means Xanxus is already experiencing the hormones that come from being a teenager, even if he should be about fourteen officially.**

 **Sorry about that confusion!**

* * *

Xanxus ignored the staring and whispers of the magical morons with ease. He wore the "King's Aura" which was part of the "Amber Aspect" or Sky Flame like a cloak that fitted him naturally.

Students and adults looked at him with uncertainty, awe, or in a few cases lust.

Xanxus snorted. He had no need of these sycophants who had let a weak bastard son of a dead line make them cower because a tainted Sky Latent had dulled their fangs and claws.

Or it could be because he had found a rather useful room that had turned into the perfect forge for him to use. It had taken him a week, partly because he had to wait for the wand wood to be delivered, but he had his newly forged X-Guns at his side. It amused him greatly that because of how outdated the pure blood morons were that they had no idea what a gun was. The muggleborns, however, had taken one look at them and gave him a wide berth without a second thought when they realized what they were.

He was just heading out to the boring little tourist village when he heard a familiar "VOI!" outside...and smirked.

He made quick strides with his longer legs to find a less than amused Squalo there already arguing with the old cat and the senile Sky.

" _VOI! Boss, what the fuck?! Do you have any idea how much bitching I've had to endure because Daniela found out you escaped and didn't think to let her know?!"_ shouted Squalo in Italian.

Xanxus grinned...before he nearly broke Squalo's jaw.

" _And how the fuck did you miss the fact that Ottabio was the traitor who was spreading the lies, shitty shark?!"_ he countered with a sneer.

Squalo blinked.

" _Voi. Ottabio?"_

" _Fucking old geezer said that he had reports from someone high up enough in the 'coup' that I was planning to take over the title of Decimo by force. Levi's too stupid to pull a stunt like that, but Ottabio was far too smug when we went in,"_ snapped Xanxus.

Squalo looked pissed, as did the others.

" _Ushishishi... can the prince gut the traitor?"_ asked Belphegor hopefully.

" _Can't. Rules state only a challenger for the position or the Boss can eliminate an officer. Otherwise we would have dealt with Levi already,"_ said Squalo in annoyance.

Belphegor pouted at that.

"May I ask who these gentlemen are?" asked Dumbledore. He was clearly pissed.

Xanxus sneered at him.

"My blood brother," said Xanxus, clasping his hand on a surprised Squalo's face.

"My cousin," nodding to Mammon, on Squalo's shoulder.

"My trusted healer," nodding to Lussuria who beamed prettily at them all, smile full of teeth and radiating bloodlust.

"And my ward," he finished, patting a happy Belphegor on the head.

"The prince is no one's ward," said Belphegor pouting.

"Until you've reached your majority or passed the secondary exams, the Boss is your guardian in both worlds. Deal with it," said Mammon flatly. Belphegor sulked, but that went away when Xanxus rolled his eye and scooped him up with one arm.

"I see," said Dumbledore not happy.

Mammon smirked at him.

"I don't think you realize the full implications of Xanxus being in this tournament. While Squalo, Lussuria and I will remain at home, you'll have to contend with a bored Xanxus and Belphegor, since as a ward of the House of Black, Belphegor needs to stay close to the boss."

Dumbledore frowned.

"I thought you said you were from a branch family of the Potters."

Xanxus smirked.

"With how often your 'pure' families intermarry, do you _really_ think that Dorea Black is the first one to marry into the Potter family," he shot back. "I'm a Black by deed if not blood and the closest blood relation to your precious 'savior'."

All true, without giving anything close to the full story.

Besides... Arcturus Black had summoned him before he was thirteen and made him perform a simple test.

He had to put the heir ring on and get it to accept him. If the ring resized itself to his hand, then he was the next head of the family. If not, well then Sirius would still be the head...even if the ring had rejected him.

The ring hadn't even taken a full minute before it resized itself to his hand and bonded itself to him. It was well hidden under a Mist illusion by a happy Viper, who had been fully reinstated in the family and was a proper Black again.

There was a reason Viper called Xanxus their favorite cousin.

Arcturus had cackled, before he proudly stated that with Xanxus as the new head of the family the Blacks would rise again, as proud as they had been when the Vongola were still in their infancy.

Dumbledore...did not look happy. At all.

And Xanxus honestly did not give a shit.

* * *

Sirius Black was rather confused as to why Dumbledore was currently bitching...er, _complaining_ about the fact that he had not told his old headmaster that he was not in fact the next head of the Black family, but an arrogant youth by the name of Alexander "Xanxus" Black _was_.

"Honestly, I completely forgot about that. I mean all the Blacks, both estranged and those who married out of it, were given a notice via the Black Family Elf that Arcturus had picked a new heir a few years ago that would take the mantle upon his seventeenth birthday. Andromeda was pretty pleased with the new heir, because he brought her back into the family along with her daughter...even if he didn't do the same for her husband. And Narcissa was pretty annoyed because this meant Draco wouldn't inherit the titles."

"I was under the impression you were the next head and Harry was your heir."

"He would have been, if the current head hadn't heard of another Black with a rather rare talent showing up on the true family tapestry claiming his vaults and called him in to find out what the hell was going on. Apparently the kid impressed him, because he was given a chance to put the heir ring on and it accepted him almost immediately."

Dumbledore frowned. He didn't like unknowns, and this Alexander Black was very much a wild card that made it abundantly clear he did not respect him or his titles. If anything, "Xanxus" despised authority figures regardless of how important they were.

He was of the opinion that respect had to be earned, no matter what past deeds or what power they held...magical or otherwise.

And there was the matter of the teen's ward. As a member of the ICW, he was well aware of the 'missing' Prince of magical Russia. He had grievously wounded his twin Raziel, and he might have changed his name, but there was no mistaking who that child was.

Though any backlash Prince "Belphegor", as he now proudly called himself, might have received for his attack on his twin brother had been dealt with by the boy's new guardian.

Alexander had delivered viable reports from healers and professionals who wouldn't ignore the truth because of a royal bloodline and to keep face.

Belphegor's core and mind had been rendered inherently unstable due to the complete rejection of a natural twin bond with Raziel. A condition only made worse because of his parents only wanting their eldest to inherit, thus encouraging the elder brother to treat the younger as a lesser prince that he was allowed to torment.

The fact Belphegor had snapped was only an obvious conclusion in hindsight. That his behavior stabilized and his core was well on the way to mending after bonding with Alexander showed that his birth parents had been utterly unfit as his caretakers.

As such a stipend for the now "exiled" Prince had been set up to pay for his care and wellbeing, with the blessings of his parents who were happy to be rid of the boy.

That was the official story anyway.

Unofficially Xanxus had identified the early stages of schizophrenia and the fact Belphegor was one of the 'early bloomers' when it came to Activating his flames. The fact his twin bond had been unstable to the point he almost killed his brother had caused his mind to fracture itself, making him even more damaged than before.

As such Lussuria had managed to get a trustworthy doctor who could help come up with a special medication that wouldn't be completely useless because of Belphegor's Storm flames that would help stabilize his mental condition while Xanxus' magic and Sky Flames helped to mend the damage to the twin bond.

In the words of Xanxus, when he fully explained to Belphegor why he had to take his medication or else, there was nothing actually wrong with him. He had simply been born with a quirky brain that made him extra unique. The medicine was simply to keep him on an even keel so he didn't make himself a complete embarrassment to his new family. Xanxus did _not_ want his new "little brother" to act as deranged and unhinged like Bellatrix Lestrange simply because he was being a stubborn brat.

With a comparison like that, Belphegor didn't fight taking his meds every morning, even if he disliked the taste.

"What can you tell me of Alexander Black?" asked Dumbledore.

"Never met the kid," said Sirius immediately. "All I know is that he was adopted into the branch family of the Potters and has a blood connection, but that his Black blood was stronger so he was made heir of that first. He can't try to claim the titles to the head of the Potter family until Harry has past his seventeenth birthday and fails to claim them for a year."

"What can you tell me of the branch family then?"

"Only that the third son of the head at the time split off about four hundred years ago and set up his own line in Italy," said Sirius. "I'm not a Potter and James wasn't really interested in that family history...and all the books are currently in storage in the Potter vaults, which only Harry can access when he's old enough."

Dumbledore was not happy and it showed. There were too many variables and a burning question of why the Goblet summoned a complete unknown such as Alexander Black when it had been young Harry's name that was chosen.

* * *

Xanxus stared down the pissy mother dragon, with Belphegor cheering him on to murder from the stands, safely in Lussuria's lap. She wasn't the only one up there...Squalo and Mammon were as well, with the miser taping the entire thing the second they heard the word dragons.

It took him a few seconds to mentally translate what the female dragon was saying, but when he did he saw red.

That bitch did not just call him fucking weak! He'd put this lesser female in her fucking place before he allowed her to win!

With a roar not unlike what the bitchy mother dragon was letting off, Xanxus pulled at his core and allowed Tenebrae (which was what he had named his dragon side) out. He didn't even realize he was pulling on the famous leylines under the school to make up the power difference needed for the first full transformation.

Once his core got used to the form the extra boost wouldn't be needed, but for the first transformation it was a necessity.

Magic rippled across his skin as the human form melted into a more powerful shape.

His body turned black as the diamond hard scales replaced skin. Hair turned into massive spikes that flowed down his back to a powerful tail. Hands and feet became talons and claws. His face elongated to reveal massive fangs. Wings sprouted from his back, massive enough to lift even his impressive bulk into the sky.

When the transformation was complete, he roared his dominance for all to hear and know.

This wasn't a mere fire-breathing lizard like the paltry creatures they housed in sanctuaries.

This was a fucking King of the Sky, ruler of the hoard.

The Horntail, sensing an unknown male dragon near it's nest, roared in return and attempted to take a protective stance around it's clutch. It knew better than to try and match flame with this beast... even an animal knows when a superior carnivore was around. However the chains prevented it.

With a swipe of it's massive claw, complete with talons sharp enough to bisect a man in half with one blow, the chains were shattered with contemptible ease.

The Horntail curled around it's clutch, breathing fire to keep it warm.

Tenebrae growled. The Horntail knocked the false egg, hoping that would appease the greater beast as tribute.

The dragon handlers, who had rushed in at the first roar, looked at the exchange stunned with disbelief.

They were quick to remove the smaller dragon from the arena while Xanxus roared to remind everyone who the dominant one was. Then to the complete disbelief of the crowd, Belphegor who had been waiting for this chance, promptly escaped Lussuria's hold...and proceeded to use Xanxus' tail as a sort of makeshift slide down to the arena.

Everyone watched this with baited breath. Everyone knew that those who completed an animagus transformation often weren't in full control of their instincts...especially for the first one.

Tenebrae lowered his head to look at the giggling prince, before snorting and letting Belphegor crawl onto his head.

Today had been a very, very good day for him.

On an unrelated note, the judges were too scared shitless to _dare_ give Xanxus anything short of a perfect score.


	10. Chapter 10

In order to get used to Tenebrae, Xanxus made a point of staying in dragon form often when he wasn't reading. A pair of rather amusing red haired twins kept trying to sneak up on him, only to end up in the air half the time by him picking up whichever was slowest with his massive teeth and shaking them _lightly_ as if they were a dog with a toy.

He found it hilarious he earned a backdoor into the common room of the bird brains when Mammon let it slip that his hoard was actually books and knowledge, rather than gold and jewels. Being accepted as an "honorary Ravenclaw" the first time one of the older bird brains caught him in the library with a book on magical history and reading it to a happy Belphegor who was curled up in his lap made his inner bibliophile happy.

The hidden Ravenclaw library was very well stocked, though the older ones were horrified when he claimed several books were highly out of date or just plain inaccurate. And the less said about the sheer lack of any decent fiction, the better. The bookworms were shocked when they came down one morning only to find a large stock of actual fiction (both regular and science fiction) in their common room. Granted most of them were used, but well cared for books, but the sheer fact Xanxus had actually donated such a thing for them to read on their off time was a massive shock...and firmly cemented him a permanent invitation to act as one of the Ravenclaws even if he hadn't actually been sorted into their house.

Xanxus, on the other hand, had been keeping his eye on a few of the students. Particularly one of the Slytherins who _definitely_ recognized him.

So he wasn't very surprised when the Latent Cloud approached him discreetly when everyone else was at dinner.

"Zabini," he said evenly, having already recognized the boy's family.

"Vongola," he replied in the same tone. _"Last I heard you were under special house arrest by the don."_

" _Special house arrest my ass. We were trying to flush out a traitor only to find out that one of our own was behind the rumors of a coup and claimed I was the ringleader. Fucker didn't even give me a chance to tell him I already knew I was adopted long before his ass came into the picture before he hit me with some stupid flame technique."_

" _You already knew you weren't Vongola by blood?"_

Xanxus smirked.

" _The Vongola might like to claim their Primo sprang out of 'common' blood, but that's full of shit. Giotto was a Potter who wasn't due to inherit that decided to start up his own branch of the family when he realized that he had everything already established to do it. He just made it official,"_ said Xanxus.

Blaise blinked.

" _That...actually explains far too much. Skies don't exactly pop up out of thin air, regardless of what people might think...especially powerful ones like the Vongola Primo."_

Blaise suddenly looked at Xanxus, who was wearing his glasses for once since his contacts were giving him grief, before realization hit him like a brick.

" _Oh that is hilarious. No wonder the goblet summoned you...and the tainted Sky has no idea of the truth!"_

Xanxus smirked.

" _Not like I was trying to hide it that hard,"_ he admitted.

Blaise just laughed, having figured out who Xanxus Vongola-Black _really_ was, not who everyone assumed. It was a skillful misdirection from a true Slytherin. Best of all, no one would believe it since Xanxus was physically seventeen.

Blaise knew all too well how common it was to abuse the hell out of time turners in the mafia in order to get the magical exams over and done with quickly, which lead to the minor side effect of aging a year or two.

Xanxus might look close to seventeen physically and have the core to match it, but according to all the records he was actually _fourteen_. And since no one was aware of who he really was, no one would suspect the truth.

Blaise's eyes glinted.

" _You have room for a Cloud?"_ he asked hopefully.

Xanxus' grin was terrifying in how ferocious it was.

" _That depends... you willing to follow orders? Because I have a traitor that needs replacing with someone who's fucking loyal and won't try to pull the same bullshit he did."_

Blaise's smile was equally predatory.

" _My mother is known as the Black Widow among pure blood circles...however not all of the deaths were caused by her. I know four languages already, and I'm semi-fluent in two more. Considering my only options around here are to follow a so-called Lord who's more like a spoiled brat whenever people don't agree with whatever he's saying and a senile old Sky who lost his balls when it came to violence a long time ago, I'd rather go back home and get a_ real _job. Besides, only an idiot would piss off someone who can turn into a proper dragon, not the paltry imitations that exist now."_

Xanxus smirked.

" _I'll get you up to Quality standard in time to kill that fucker who betrayed me before we leave. Be nice to have someone competent for a change."_

Blaise held out a hand.

" _It'll be a pleasure to work with you, Boss,"_ said Blaise smiling.

Xanxus firmly shook it, pleased when the smaller Italian didn't even flinch at his grip.

This mess was turning out to be a good thing in more than a few ways. Not only was he going to get a competent, _loyal_ Cloud, but he had finally unlocked Tenebrae properly!

* * *

Xanxus was aware he was being watched. He didn't care.

A small blond girl with wide blue eyes plopped down on the seat across from him.

"It's fascinating how two pieces of chained light can make such pure, untainted darkness. Though why people seem to think the dark is a bad thing I'll never understand," she said dreamily.

Xanxus lowered his book and actually looked at the girl. Very few were aware or cared that both of his spirit animals had been named after "darkness". Or knew that he had been born of two 'light' oriented parents.

Though the idea of them being chained light was far too appropriate.

It took him a moment to register what he was looking at, before he snorted.

Of course. A Lovegood.

"You know I find that the description of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack's habitat sounds really inaccurate," he commented.

She blinked for a moment, before she beamed brightly.

"You believe in them too?"

"Considering the sheer level of magic that exists in the world in places humans have never touched, I'm saying there's a possibility it _could_ exist, just waiting to be found. We know more about outer space than we do about the true depths of the oceans," he countered evenly. "After all, dragons and unicorns were once considered fairy tales by the new bloods, until they found out magic was real and things once considered myth were very much real and thriving. And don't get me started on how many dismiss the faerie realms as imaginary. There's no way this plane of existence is the only one and it's fact that certain people have the ability to actually See things most dismiss."

The girl clapped her hands with delight.

"Oh god... she's corrupted him now too!" said Cho Chang in horror, staring at the interaction between Xanxus and Looney Lovegood.

Several of the more logical Ravenclaws looked at Xanxus with pity and Luna with disgust...only to quail when Xanxus turned a single blood-red glare at them.

"Just because you're too busy sticking in a narrow world view that doesn't allow room for error shouldn't mean she has to do the same," he shot back.

One Ravenclaw, a girl who was a strong Lightning Latent, spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"How much of science was once deemed fictional nonsense or heresy because people refused to believe that the impossible is in fact possible?"

She looked thoughtful.

"Most of what is considered modern science, such as chemistry, actual flight, or electricity was considered science fiction. More than a few scientific minds were often mistaken for alchemists and killed for it because they were trying to experiment with common chemicals and such."

"So it stands to reason that if certain 'truths' can be proven false or can be altered to fit new knowledge, why can't creatures that sound utterly fantastical or ridiculous be real, just waiting to be discovered in some unseen territory that's more or less hostile to humanity?" countered Xanxus. "For all you know her 'fake creatures' could just be an unusual example of a Lazarus Taxon that they got a few details wrong about or mistook for something else."

Dead silence.

"What's a Lazarus Taxon?" asked Marie Edgecrombe, one of the worst instigators when it came to tormenting Luna.

"It's the scientific term for a creature thought extinct, only to reappear in the present more or less the same as it was during it's fossil record. A famous example is the coelacanth, which was believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered alive in 1938 near Madagascar," said the Lightning girl. "And it never occurred to me that perhaps she might be mistaking her creatures for something else entirely."

Xanxus smirked. Luna looked beyond delighted that she _finally_ had someone on her side that was able to get the more stubborn idiots off her back about her imaginary creatures.

"Can I stay with you?" she asked hopefully.

Xanxus looked at the blond before an evil, evil idea came to him.

"I know an old crone who'd _love_ to have someone like you to corrupt."

* * *

 _In Italy..._

Daniela looked up from her coffee with a scowl.

"Something wrong?" asked Lilou.

"I have the sneaking suspicion my dear grandson just called me old in a very insulting manner...and yet managed to find me a delightful minion to drive that imbecile of a son of mine up the wall."

Daniela was glad Xanxus was out of the ice...and pissed her son thought he had been clever keeping the truth from the boy without bothering to get all the facts.

Timoteo had looked rather pale when Daniela provided proof that Xanxus was most certainly NOT his son and was in fact related to the Primo himself...more importantly the boy had already known this fact (that Timoteo wasn't his father, not the part about the Primo) long before he was ever brought to the Iron Fort. Xanxus had mostly played along because he wasn't Stupid and knew he'd only get snatched up by someone else if he didn't pretend he was a Vongola.

Massimo had been in shock and Federico had been pissed their father had openly lied to them about Xanxus' heritage...and that he hadn't bothered to get the truth of the coup before using such a dangerous technique that would only cause long-term damage to the boy who was trying to help the Vongola in his own way by flushing out a traitor.

Both of them were so gung-ho to get Xanxus out of that cursed ice...right until Daniela told them he was already free and not because of their father's actions.

Thanks to the fidelius charm, even if they did try to say anything, no one would remember it anyway. They were both relieved and a bit pissed some ancient artifact had dragged Xanxus into what was normally a death trap and that he had kept the fact he could use magic from them.

Then again, considering their father's less than stellar decision making of late and the way he listened far too much to that arrogant blowhard Iemitsu it was understandable.

Though Daniela didn't tell them the rest... that the second Xanxus was done with that ridiculous tournament he was going to give a massive blow to the idiots that put him in the ice.

Iemitsu wanted to pretend he was a good father and a family man, when he almost never saw his wife and son? Xanxus would happily shred that lie to pieces and reclaim the bloodline, while kicking him out of it.

Xanxus was nothing if not vindictive, and this would be a direct spit in the face to both Timoteo and Iemitsu when it got out that they were merely branch members of _his_ bloodline, not the other way around.

"So how goes it with the gossip circles?"

"When that boy of yours reappears, he's going to have a hell of a lot of support from the old crowd. They're not to happy with the decisions your son has been making of late."

Daniela didn't even try to defend him, which was telling enough.

"He lost Enrico through his own complacency and froze Xanxus out of stupidity. If I find one more foolish sin to lay before his feet, I am going to personally wring his neck before insuring that our family survives. Once is bad judgment, twice is coincidence, but three times is a pattern that I am not about to allow to continue," growled Daniela.

Timoteo might have forgotten the old laws of the Vongola, set by the Primo for whatever reason... though now she knew it was laws he had followed with his original family... but she had been brushing up on them since she found out he had put Xanxus through the Zero Point Breakthrough when he was trying to deal with a traitor.


	11. Chapter 11

The Yule ball was boring as fuck, and that was after he managed to secure the only interesting chick in the entire freaking castle, outsiders included. Luna was by far the only tolerable one around.

The Veela chick just made him _sneeze_ of all things whenever she tried to lure him with her Allure. He suspected it had something to do with the near imperceptible amount of pheromones she kept letting off. It would explain a lot.

Besides, it only took him an hour to figure out he had to deal with _mermaids_ of all things once he got that stupid egg. Stupid screechy bastards. Worse than banshees and he had actually heard a recording of those fuckers once.

So he was less than amused being stuck swimming in the middle of fucking February in _Highland Scotland_ for the amusement of others, especially since the lake was clearly supplied by both a salt water source and mountain run off, making it very cold.

Wrath Flames or not, he _hated_ the cold!

As the idiot announcer was explaining what was going on, Xanxus was busy looking for a certain blond exiled Prince. He had been missing during breakfast, which he could accept...but Belphegor would not miss cheering on his "big brother/minder".

More to the point Mammon was openly frowning about something, and looking at a piece of paper that clearly had their infamous "sticky trace" on it while looking at the lake.

Xanxus was hit with an epiphany.

Those fuckers had better not have done what he thought they did, or he'd kill every fucker involved!

If he noticed the effect his low, threatening growl was having on the other champions he made no sign of it.

Putting in the Flame-powered rebreather was easy enough and more reliable than spellwork. As was the fact he had a spear-fishing gun in his bag at his side, or the fact he was wearing a thermal suit to insulate himself from the chilly waters.

Xanxus detested the cold and the fact they were being forced to swim in the tail end of _winter_ in Scotland, when even the castle was fucking freezing in the corridors, made him extra pissy.

However it was what he found when he reached the village faster than any of the other champions (being more physically fit than the other three by a large margin) that made him fill the entire area, both above and below water level, with killing intent.

Forget pissed...he was going to fucking _murder_ someone and he wouldn't be quick about it!

Tied to one of the posts was Belphegor...and a brat who was clearly Fleur's younger sister.

As Belphegor's legal and magical Guardian, he should have been _asked_ before they used him as a hostage. Even the English had laws about using minors without the consent of the guardians and Belphegor wasn't even old enough to be in formal magical schooling yet. Not for at least another two years.

So the fact they stuck _his_ Storm in a damn mountain lake clearly fed from a salt water source when it was almost a guarantee he'd end up sick as a dog once they were out?

Yeah, someone was going to fucking _die_ , never mind the fact that he could sense Fleur swimming back up in a panic.

Hey, he was a fire-oriented mage who had a fucking dragon and a tiger for his inner animals. He could tell when she was too close and the only other signature was right in front of him. Clearly she was not getting her hostage.

The mermaids took _one_ look at his glowing red eyes and the amount of killing intent he was letting off, before letting him remove the little Veela girl and his Storm. Feeling Belphegor curl into him unconsciously reminded Xanxus of his priority.

Get topside. Find out which fucker thought it was a bright idea to take _his_ Storm and ward into a fucking lake in _winter_ without his permission. Brutally make an example of them as a warning not to fuck with _his_ people or take _his_ things without fucking permission. Then sick Mammon on their ass and fine the every living fuck out of them.

The second they were above water level, the two kids woke up. Belphegor was very pissed, and wrapped his arms around Xanxus' neck. The girl looked confused but hung onto him as well.

Xanxus turned into Erebus, making it easier for him to swim. Tigers actually _liked_ the water, and this way they could hold onto his fur without accidentally drowning him in the process. Besides, he was not dealing with that much water displacement, thank you very much.

Once he shook off the water and switched back, he turned pissed off eyes at the adults around him.

"Which one of you fuckers put him in that fucking lake? I know for a fact none of you assholes bothered to ask me before using him as a fucking hostage."

"They were perfectly safe!" said Bagman, looking decidedly nervous.

"Their magic is fucking fire-oriented, you stupid fucker! Water and fire _do not mix_! Hell, Belphegor's magic was actively eating away at whatever the fuck you put him under with and he would have woken up in that fucking lake and drowned! Now which one you assholes kidnapped him?" demanded Xanxus irate and clearly murderous.

"Let's calm down now," said Dumbledore, trying to placate him. Xanxus was not having it.

"Fuck you, you senile goat! I'm his magical and legal guardian and none of you assholes thought to ask me if I was alright with you using _my_ ward as part of a potentially deadly task or given any notice at all!"

"They didn't ask the Prince if he would be a hostage either. They dosed me with some potion before hitting me with a stunner," said Belphegor darkly.

" _I was not asked to be a hostage either. They made me drink an unknown potion that made me black out. Who knows what these uncivilized heathens could have done to me during that time period?"_ said the girl in French while frowning. Fleur looked about ready to join Xanxus in a bit of murder hearing that.

Seeing Bagman and a few other Ministry officials back away slowly at the sheer murderous intent, Mammon spoke up with a cold drawl.

"Boss, do you want to let me at their vaults now or after you've killed them?"

"Find out who was in on it and drain their fucking accounts dry. Twenty percent goes to the hostages but the rest is yours," he said flatly.

Mammon looked darkly pleased hearing that.

"And miser brat? No fucking mercy. I want them to know how fucked they are when I come for their ass," said Xanxus. "And I want a fucking list."

"Of course cousin," said Mammon, practically purring.

"Mr. Black, please be reasonable. It was a simple task," said Dumbledore.

"Reasonable? Reasonable would have been getting the permission of their guardians before using two minors as fucking hostages before dosing them with an unknown potion! Anyone with a brain knows that Veela, even part Veela are more inclined to fire magic and therefor highly vulnerable in water! Never mind the fact it's the middle of winter in Scotland! It's an almost fucking guarantee these two are going to be sick as dogs from the weather alone after being in the water for over an hour!" snapped Xanxus.

Belphegor sneezed, as did the little girl. Xanxus' glare was thoroughly pissed off and made his opinion of them well known.

Someone was going to die for this stunt, possibly multiple parties.

Xanxus made a point of letting Belphegor curl up next to him for the rest of the week, to let the brat know he was pissed they had used him as bait in a situation where the kid would be all but helpless to defend himself.

The kid had nightmares about it and didn't even try to hide behind his 'princely' persona. He was just glad his Sky was pissed for his sake and more than happy to let him in on the killing of whoever was stupid enough to put him in that situation in the first place.

* * *

Fleur felt a dark amount of satisfaction when Xanxus cheerfully handed her a list of people who had been involved in the whole "involuntary hostage mess" that was the second task.

While the English can and did ignore the complaints the French for using Gabrielle as a hostage due to her Veela heritage (to the ire of Fleur and their family) they _couldn't_ ignore a very pissed off Alexander Black armed with a very vicious cousin who was more than happy to fine all those responsible for everything under the sun and a few things that were made up just because.

It was one thing to use a "barely acceptable French minor of potential creature heritage" hostage for the purpose of a magical tournament without asking their parents or de facto guardian (aka Madame Maxime) first. It was another thing entirely to do the same to a _known_ magical royal who was the ward of a feared Ancient and Noble house who wouldn't hesitate to take those responsible to task for it.

It didn't matter if Xanxus was a champion who had been dragged into this mess... he should have been consulted first before they used HIS ward as a hostage without giving him the chance to offer substitutes, even if by doing so they alerted him to what the task might entail.

Which was why the witch was entirely unsurprised when a scant week later several of those who had been responsible for the mess suddenly turned up very dead in extremely graphic ways that made it clear they hadn't died quickly or easily.

These English dogs should have remembered their precious school motto.

Don't tickle the sleeping dragon indeed...and they had gone and pissed of one of the most impressive specimens of a dragon by putting one of _his_ in direct danger due to their carelessness. Royalty, no less, which any idiot could have told them how highly dragons prized royal blood.

The fact Xanxus had made it very clear he considered the homicidal brat his little brother in all but blood should have been warning enough.

Fleur drank her light wine with a dark expression of approval on her face.

It served those honorless dogs right for using Gabrielle like that.

Of course the Ministry was really worried about the fact that Barty Crouch Sr. and Ludo Bagman had been found dead in their homes by unknown means.

(Though Fleur would recognize a gunshot to the head anywhere.)

* * *

Belphegor squirmed uncomfortably next to Xanxus.

"Brat, what is it?" demanded Xanxus gruffly.

"Boss... do you really consider me a little brother?" asked Bel slowly, his aura openly vulnerable. He wasn't used to having family that cared.

"What brought this on?" asked Xanxus.

"Mammy said that the reason you killed the peasants responsible for putting the prince in the lake was because you were mad that they put your little brother in danger," said Bel carefully. "And that you set Mammy loose to make sure that they didn't try it ever again."

Xanxus picked Belphegor up like a misbehaving kitten. Bel was so used to this he didn't squawk like he used to.

So he was rather surprised to find himself in Xanxus' lap with the older male's arms around him.

"I don't care if we don't share a lick of blood. You're still my obnoxious, bloodthirsty little brother and I'll be damned if I let some backwater bastards put you in that sort of danger again."

Bel snuggled into Xanxus' side. He had never had a family that cared that much about him to the point they'd happily commit murder for putting him in danger. It was rather nice and it only made the bond he had with Xanxus stronger.

"You are one of _mine_ brat, and don't you ever forget that."

The feeling he got off of the bloodthirsty prince for that was the same feeling he got from Lussuria and Squalo when he told the old bastard who claimed to be his father that he could go fuck himself the day he allowed that old man to dictate who he trusted with his life, with them in the room hearing every word.

He didn't care if his men were loud, annoying swordsmen who had a volume control problem or a former man who creeped everyone out before she had her gender shifted to the one she actually identified with.

They were _his_ and he'd kill anyone who said they weren't "good enough" to be his guardians because he was supposed to be a Vongola. His men were loyal to their very bones and he trusted them to have his back even when the world was going to hell. That was enough for him and he couldn't give a shit about what he considered "minor" details.

Belphegor would happily stab anyone who made a comment about the fact he was openly cuddling with _his_ Sky and older brother. It was nice to have family that wanted you.

* * *

 _In Italy..._

Daniela suddenly perked up.

"What is it this time?" asked Gina, one of the ladies who came by to gossip.

"My grandmother senses are tingling. I think I'm missing out on a very adorable moment that will be adamantly denied later by those responsible that would make anyone coo if they saw pictures of it," she announced.

"Ah, one of those," said Lilou sensibly. "I hate it when moments like that spring up and we aren't there to catch it."

Most of the women there pouted.

"And I'm fairly certain it's my adorably violent grandson too!"

"The one who acted as your enabler?" asked Gina, eyes laughing.

Daniela nodded with a wicked grin.

When Xanxus lived with her, he not only enabled her chaotic habits but he was also an openly amused _accomplice_ who cackled right along with her while taking blackmail photos for later. The boy had a positively devious mind and wasn't afraid to use it even on people who were considered "too important" for that sort of thing.

Daniela could still remember the time he managed to spike the punch with a high quality aphrodisiac and the chaos that came of it. So could Timoteo, who had been one of his victims.

She could still see Reborn trying and failing to hold back his own quiet laughter at the sheer havoc it had brought to an otherwise boring ball.

And everyone had thought Xanxus was spiking the punch with more booze.


	12. Chapter 12

The outcome of the tournament was pretty obvious in hindsight. After all, it was the first time someone like Xanxus had ever competed, and he outclassed the rest of them so badly it wasn't even funny.

The second he was in the maze, he shifted into Tenebrae and basically walked to the center. And he didn't fly either, which was the only restriction they had placed on him.

Idiots didn't even consider he was simply so tall that he could _see_ over the damn hedges just fine without flying. And the spells they cast to insure no one cheated that way ignored his antics, because all four feet were firmly on the ground!

Rather than pick up the goblet like an idiot, Xanxus used his tail to knock it onto the Acromantula nearby. The fact that the overgrown spider promptly disappeared only proved he had been smart not to touch the damn thing.

Xanxus was not particularly impressed at all with this entire farce and was glad that it was over.

At least he got a Cloud out of this bullshit, and a new minion to give his grandma.

 _A short while later..._

The first thing Xanxus did upon returning to Italy?

Dump Luna on Daniela.

"I'm back, Nonna, and I come bearing a new enabler when I'm not available."

Once Daniela got over hugging the stuffing out of him, she gave him a glare.

"Now we won't be having a repeat of what happened during that fake coup, will we?"

"In my defense, the asshole didn't even give me a chance to tell him I already _knew_ I was adopted long before he took me in," said Xanxus. "He just yelled about how I wasn't going to inherit, before putting me in a block of ice."

Daniela's eyes were dark and not for the faint of heart.

"Now, where is this little cutie you've apparently picked to act as my accomplice?" demanded Daniela.

Xanxus opens the door to reveal a dreamy eyed Luna Lovegood, and Daniela squeals. She can already tell the girl is a Rainy-Mist, with possible Cloud secondary which has all sorts of fun applications if used correctly.

Luna certainly doesn't mind the massive bear hug from an exuberant Daniela.

"You and I are going to have _sooo_ much fun together," said Daniela with gleaming eyes.

"Can we go looking for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, auntie?" asked Luna innocently.

"Of course!" said Daniela. "Wait, are you from the same Lovegood family that writes the Quibbler?"

"My father is the editor for the English edition."

Daniela squeals.

"I love reading that! The off-the-wall comments and little barbs you hide underneath your articles are a hoot to read!"

Luna beamed at her.

"You know while I was bored out of my damn mind in that school, I learned something interesting," said Xanxus darkly.

"And what's that?"

"Vongola isn't the actual surname of the family. It's more of a _title_ for whoever wears the rings."

Daniela stared at him, a dawning suspicion coming to her.

"Then what's the real surname of the Secundo?"

Xanxus' smirk was positively _evil_.

"Black. Apparently the reason why Daemon was able to convince him to turn against Giotto was because they were third cousins and he didn't like the 'soft' approach that Giotto was taking after his wife was killed. So he talked his cousin into taking over since Giotto was his fifth cousin once removed...so technically there _is_ a blood relation between them," said Xanxus.

"Why do I have a deep sense of foreboding right now?"

"Let me put it this way... Giotto never removed himself from the Potter family tree, and Ricardo merely changed his surname in the _mundane_ side of things, never the magical one. So _technically_ the Vongola falls under the purview of the head of the Potter or the Black family, depending on which branch is in charge, since the cousins merely made a branch of those families rather than make a new one," said Xanxus.

Daniela paled, finally realizing what her grandson meant.

Then again, Timoteo had brought this on himself with his rash actions.

"You're going to forcibly remove him from power, since we're still technically Blacks," said Daniela.

"I'd need more than what he did to me before I could legally do it...but somehow I have the feeling this isn't the first monumental screw up he's made. If I find more evidence that he's done something against the family, then I can have him cast out and we can start searching for someone who can take care of the family _properly_. It's not your fault Nonna...he brought this on himself and he should have stepped down years ago when Enrico was old enough to take over. You at least knew when it was time to step down... he's clearly planning to hold onto power for as long as possible."

As much as she wanted to deny it, she had the worst feeling her grandson wasn't exaggerating. Enrico had been more than old enough to take over, yet her son refused to hand over the reigns which made her grandson reckless in trying to prove himself. In a way, Enrico's death was on Timoteo's head for not stepping down.

"Is it really that bad?"

"There's always side effects from practicing less than savory magicks. The Blacks, for example, have practiced blood magic for so long it's been ingrained in our very souls. Sometimes it drives people off the deep end in a quest for power. Case in point, Bellatrix Lestrange. There's always a chance that the magic has caused something to go wrong with his Flames, and that the rings themselves are just making it worse."

Daniela thought back to her son's primary weapon. She should have suspected something wrong when he chose a _scepter_ as a weapon.

"In the meantime... I have to do some overdue house cleaning."

* * *

Ottabio was a dead man.

Blaise waltzed in, found Ottabio and without much preamble shot the man point blank in the face before he even said a word.

"Listen up fuckers! This here is your new Cloud Officer! Now I am going to be doing a bit of spring cleaning to make sure we're up to standards," said Xanxus.

"How do we know you're not some fucking Mist illusion?" demanded one particularly stupid Storm.

"Ushishishi... the peasant has a death wish," sneered Belphegor. His knives were already out and his bloodlust was already up.

"Easy, brat. At least he has a fucking brain to question a possible infiltrator," said Xanxus, patting Belphegor on the head. Which made the prince pout slightly, because it meant the boss wouldn't approve of the man being killed in a very messy fashion...yet.

Which was why most of the Varia straightened up the second Xanxus turned into Erebus and roared.

No Mist would be able to mimic the seamless transition between human and tiger, much less get the boss' animal side right. He didn't show it to outsiders, and it was kept an in-house secret among the Varia.

"Voi! Any other stupid questions?" demanded Squalo. He looked at the tiger and grinned. "Good to have you back boss."

Xanxus' grin was vicious.

"It's good to be home."

Mammon waited for Xanxus to settle in before floating into the office.

"I have some interesting news. It seems the Ninth recently took a trip to Japan with Iemitsu," said the Mist.

Iemitsu, as much as he loathed it, was technically family through Giotto. Which meant that his family should be protected. However Xanxus knew that braying jackass. Odds were he'd think keeping them in ignorance was 'enough'.

Besides, this meant he could corrupt any kid the moron had against him.

"Find out which city... I want to find out what sort of security measures are in place and what we're dealing with. If it's just the wife we'll leave it be, but if a kid is involved..."

"Understood Boss," said Mammon.

Xanxus was protective of kids, especially if they were blood. Just look at how he handled Belphegor!

Mammon was nothing if not efficient. And since they were tracking a potential kin member, the Japanese Ministry didn't try to stonewall them.

"Boss, there's a kid. He's barely five and they were unaware of his existence."

The fact the kid was a member of the Potter family was a big deal, considering the whole "boy-who-lived" crap.

"Do we have an address?"

"We do. We can be in Japan to assess the situation by either portkey or plane. The Japanese Ministry has made it clear that they will consider this an _internal_ matter unless otherwise indicated."

"Portkey. Old fucker might find out we went to investigate if we take a plane," said Xanxus. "Better bring Daniela too... kid's technically a Vongola after all."

That and it meant that Iemitsu couldn't claim he was trying anything if the Eighth was also involved.

Daniela was more than happy to come...all he had to do was mention a five year old and she practically jumped at the chance.

Though she was still puking her guts out when they took the portkey.

* * *

 _In Japan..._

Daniela took _one_ look at Tsuna, and squealed loudly. Xanxus, however was far more concerned with Nana's overly accepting reaction to strangers showing up without any warning and claiming they were related to Iemitsu. Her complete lack of concern about the fact they might very well be lying made him suspicious. And there was something off about her...or possibly her Flames. Even he could tell she was a Latent.

"I think we might need to have them both checked by professionals," said Xanxus.

Daniela looked at him with sharp eyes.

"Her behavior is _not_ normal. Civilians might be overly trusting, but her immediate acceptance is suspicious," said Xanxus flatly.

She blinked, before eyeing Nana with new eyes. Now that he mentioned it her behavior was far too suspicious.

It was far too easy for them to bundle up the wife and kid and take them to a magical hospital to be inspected.

Flames, while rare, were still considered a magical gift. Even if the ones who only used Flames were considered hedge-mages if they didn't show any other talents.

Xanxus wish he could feel vindicated when the medi-wizard in charge damn near stormed up to him with a very pissed off expression on his face.

"Are you the one who brought in the mother and son?"

"Kid's a member of my bloodline. I wanted to be sure he was properly protected, so I came to check in on them. Found the mother's behavior suspicious," said Xanxus gruffly.

"The mother is under a very odd compulsion magic, and the boy's magic has been crudely sealed by someone who didn't know what the hell they were doing," said the wizard, calming down at that.

"I'm sorry, did you just say _sealed_?" said Daniela dangerously, hoping she was wrong.

If her suspicion was correct, then she wasn't going to stand in the way of Xanxus giving Timoteo a reality check. Oh no, she'd _help_.

Daniela examined little Tsuna with her Flames, and her expression was livid.

"Xanxus... whatever help you need in convincing the Alliance to forcibly remove that fool, you have it," she said darkly.

"That bad?"

"The boy was _active_ when this was applied. The damage that can do to a child with active Flames... depending on the type it can cause irreparable harm."

"And the mother?" asked Xanxus.

"I don't know what compulsion magic was used, but it's clear her will has almost entirely been overwritten. It's like she's in a strange form of Imperius and has lost complete touch with reality."

Daniela latched onto that information.

"Imperius?" she said.

"Something like a very powerful Mist compulsion laced with an overdose of Tranquility," said Xanxus.

Which meant Nana might be a Rain Latent, and she was still attempting to latch onto Iemitsu's Sky. Which was _not_ a good thing when she was supposed to be raising a child!

Daniela held onto Tsuna protectively while the doctors gave them a basic diagnosis.

It was fairly obvious what would happen now. Xanxus would exercise his right as the head of the family to remove Tsuna and Nana from Namimori while they tried to straighten out this mess.

Either way Timoteo's time as the Vongola don was rapidly dwindling. She was _not happy_ with her 'son' at the moment.

Tsuna, once he got over the shock of having nice relatives who kept hugging him, immediately fell in love with Erebus.

"Kitty!" he said happily, tugging on the cat's fur. He giggled when Erebus licked him on the face and made him positively drenched in tiger spit. The kid had absolutely no fear of the massive cat and happily submitted to a 'grooming' session from a purring Erebus.

Nana continued her oblivious attitude, which was yet another sign that something was very wrong with her. Normal civilian mothers were _never_ this calm around massive tigers so close to their children!


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry folks! Been raining like crazy lately and there's no way I'm getting out in that!**

* * *

It had started out as a rumor, at first. Daniela was positively _pissed_ at her son and Iemitsu about something and it was serious.

Normally he wouldn't put much mind to rumors, except his Intuition had been going nuts in warning for _months_ since he started hearing another rumor that Xanxus was already free from the ice. Which was impossible, because last he checked that technique didn't exactly _thaw_ like normal ice would.

That changed during the Annual Vongola ball. He would _not_ admit to almost choking on his wine when he saw a less than amused Xanxus standing right there with his mother.

In retrospect, perhaps it should have been a damn warning sign when so many actually showed up for once, all of them Alliance members or related to one. He should have suspected it would be a set-up for something that was going to cause him headaches.

"Old fucker," said Xanxus without even trying to be respectful.

To be fair, he could understand that to an extent after freezing the boy...though he was definitely checking on that ice block when he went back to the Iron Fort.

"Xanxus," said Timoteo evenly. He cast his flames out and had to hide a wince when he realized that this was the real deal. No one could possibly imitate the boy's unique Flames.

The Ninth's Guardians all look like they've seen a ghost, save for the new guy.

If Timoteo noticed the crowd gathering around to listen in, he made no sign of it.

"Really Timoteo, I am disappointed in you," said Daniela, glaring at him rather openly. She was clearly pissed about something.

"May I ask why, mother?"

"Don't you _mother_ me. I expected far better than your arrogant actions when I handed over the position to you. Instead you've made glaring error after error with disturbing frequency, far too many of them with Skies that should have been under your care!"

Timoteo had a foreboding feeling that she wasn't just referring to Xanxus. Where had his mother learned of Tsunayoshi's existence?

He almost started to sweat, suddenly hyper-aware of the crowd around them, the majority of which were Alliance dons. Clearly his mother planned to make this a very _public_ incident so he wouldn't have a chance in hell of weaseling out of it.

If that was the case, then she had gone beyond pissed and was in the mood to completely destroy someone. Normally this sort of thing was kept private among the family.

"Should we take this someplace a bit more...private?" suggested Coyote. Clearly he could see the signs and wanted to mitigate as much damage as possible to their reputation.

"Not a chance in hell. I'm airing a fucking grievance against this old fucker and the entire Ninth generation for their incompetence and their mismanagement of Skies under their care," said Xanxus loudly enough that everyone heard it.

"Now listen here you little brat... the Ninth took you in out of the goodness of his heart despite the fact you were born to that woman!" snarled Coyote.

"Here's a newsflash for you, dumbass. I already knew I was _adopted_ long before this senile fucker ever came into the picture. My Ma found me and took me in to replace her own dead son and had the fucking balls to explain as much in her lucid moments, unlike this asshole who kept trying to string me along as his 'son'," sneered Xanxus.

Timoteo paled at that.

"What?" he said faintly.

"You didn't even give me a fucking chance to explain that I already knew I was adopted, and that I was trying to clear out a fucking traitor before you sealed me up in that untested technique of the Primo," snarled Xanxus. "Instead you got it into your head I was trying to make a bid for power when I'm not that fucking stupid. At least Nonna explained about the rings being _bloodlocked."_

Timoteo could feel the walls closing in.

Xanxus had known from the beginning he was adopted? That he wasn't Timoteo's son and yet never said anything?

"And you want to know what the real fucking kicker was? The traitor who made up the rumors about the coup was selling out information to fucking Sawada the entire time. Maybe you should have spent a bit more time watching him instead of me... especially considering what he did to his own _wife_."

Timoteo looked at Xanxus sharply.

"What do you mean about that? How do you know about them?"

Xanxus' grin was positively vicious.

"Turns out that the Primo wasn't some no-name Sky... he moved to Italy after he graduated school in order to connect with his mother's roots, but never rescinded his original family name. The whole Vongola thing is based off the rings, not the man who wore them. And as much as it disgusts me, Sawada is technically my cousin four times removed on my _real_ father's side... which makes protecting his spawn my problem," said Xanxus flatly. His grin was positively evil as he said "Genealogy is such a _fascinating_ subject, especially if you know what to look for."

Timoteo looks positively horrified to hear that and it showed. Daniela resists the urge to cackle at the look on his face.

If having that particular bomb dropped in a public setting was bad, it was _nothing_ compared to the files Daniela dumped on his desk.

Finding out Iemitsu's wife was a Rain Latent practically drowning in her Flames was a nasty shock. It was clear even to his eye that she was reaching for her husband's Sky, but the fact he spent so little time after unknowingly Flame courting her was causing the whole thing to spiral out of control.

While she might give the basic care to her son, there was a disturbing possibility she might ignore obvious signs of something wrong with little Tsunayoshi, such as bullying, abuse or even the damage emotional neglect would cause. To say nothing of the fact there was a high chance she might try to unconsciously push Iemitsu's image on their son.

All that before Daniela practically ripped him a new one for sealing the child in the first place, rather than attempt training.

The moment Tsuna awakened Sky Flames, he had lost the chance to be a civilian. Timoteo _knew_ this, so the fact he attempted to cover the truth with a seal that would have irreparably harmed the boy's soul and left him a complete mess (especially with his mother's condition) meant that he had screwed up royally.

The hits kept on coming when _Xanxus_ brought a pair of family trees that were confirmed accurate to prove that not only was the Vongola a branch of his _actual_ birth family, but that by the old laws they were technically subservient to the family head.

Which in both cases was Xanxus himself.

Timoteo felt rather faint and dearly wished he had something stronger stocked, learning how quickly things were spirally out of his control.

* * *

If Iemitsu was surprised to hear that his wife is a Rain Latent suffering from the fact his Sky hadn't fully harmonized with her, it's nothing compared to the horrors of learning he was related to the very brat he had come to hate so much.

As if _that_ wasn't enough to confirm fate hated him, Xanxus was also the _head_ of the family that the Primo had originally descended from. Which meant he did have some power over Iemitsu, at least politically.

And _that_ grated on him. To say nothing of how pissed he was when he found out Xanxus had made an unexpected trip to Japan, found his son and then proceeded to help Daniela remove the seal that was keeping his son safe from the mafia!

Protecting his son, what a load of crap. Iemitsu could see the ploy for what it really was, and that was corrupting his little tuna fish against his own father!

Even so he manages to hide his seething from the bastard son of a whore (literally) when he has to attend a family meeting to figure out how to fix this mess.

It did not go well for him at all.

"So just to be clear you want nothing to do with _my_ family, or anything to do with the Potters," said Xanxus. "You also want zero interaction with any of us, including cousins and other relatives from the Potter side of the family, is that correct?"

Iemitsu's Intuition was yelling out in warning about something, but his arrogance allowed him to ignore it. He had a lot of practice with that. Besides, this didn't seem like something that would be fatal, just permanent.

"You better believe it! I want nothing to do with freaks like you!" snarled Iemitsu.

"Freaks?" said Xanxus, narrowing his eyes at Iemitsu.

Iemitsu wasn't about to listen to reason at this point. His dislike of Xanxus had reached it's boiling point and there was no going back.

"I still can't understand how you can spit on the Ninth's generosity for taking in a bastard like you! You've had everything handed to you since he took you from your whore mother, and yet you've shown nothing but disrespect to him and the family! I'd rather be cast out of your precious family than ever submit to a bastard like you!"

There was only one reason Xanxus didn't kill the idiot then and there.

And that was because the revenge for Iemitsu's arrogance and stupidity was going to be far sweeter than simply killing him. Best of all, the fool brought this on himself.

"So be it then. I renounce you as a Potter and as bloodkin. From here on out, you are an outcast of the family and may have no contact with any Potters or have any say in family matters," said Xanxus with finality.

Oh how he was going to _enjoy_ this.

"Good riddance," said Iemitsu. Even if he could _feel_ something latch onto his Flames, and then break off from them. As if confirming they were no longer family.

Which was when karma reared it's ugly head when Tsuna ran into the room to hug Xanxus.

"Nii-san!" he said happily.

Xanxus scooped up the kid with the ease of long practice. The tiny thing promptly hugged his neck and settled into his arms completely unafraid.

Iemitsu's rage cranked up by several notches.

"Give me back my son," he snarled.

Xanxus' eyes gleamed with a positively wicked glint.

"Not your son. Not anymore, idiota," he said gleefully.

"What the hell does that mean, bastard?!"

Xanxus looked him right in the eye as he explained it to him _slowly_ , as if talking to an idiot.

"You said it yourself, you want nothing to do with the Potters or anyone connected to it," said Xanxus, in a far too cheerful tone. "Now if you are my cousin, then what does that make your _son_?"

Iemitsu worked that through his head and paled.

"No. I demand you remove him from your tainted family tree!"

"Too late. You might be his birth father, but you cut yourself off from the family _before_ you remembered your son is related to me through you. That means you just removed custody and all legal rights over his life to _me_ , because he is still family and you're not," said Xanxus. "And if you try to push for custody, Nonna has absolutely no problem informing the Alliance of your stunt by sealing his Sky Flames when he went active, rather than training him like you should. If that doesn't form a lynch mob against you, nothing will."

Iemitsu was _livid_ with fury.

That bastard tricked him! He attempted to reach for his son, to remove him from the other man's hold only to hiss back as a very nasty electric shock ripped through his body and his Flames.

"You made your own bed, fucker. Now you get to reap what you sow. Maybe now you'll finally figure out that actions have fucking consequences," said Xanxus rather smugly, as he left the room with a confused Tsuna still firmly attached to his side.

Iemitsu swore then and there he would make Xanxus _pay_ for this. He didn't know how or when, but he would make the bastard son of a whore suffer for what he had done.

 _With Xanxus and Tsuna..._

"Nii-san, who was that guy?"

He looked an awful lot like the weird man Mama said was his Papa, but there was something ugly and unpleasant about him. Just being that close to the man made him want to run far, far away in the other direction and never look back.

"Someone who could have been family, but was so selfish and irresponsible that he decided to cast it aside for his own ambitions," said Xanxus. Tsuna looked confused, so Xanxus simplified it. "He was your father, but he decided he was more important so he removed himself from the family because he doesn't like me."

"But family is important!" said Tsuna, horrified. He couldn't imagine being so wrapped up in himself that the idea of cutting himself off from family would even be considered an option. Besides, Nii-san and 'Auntie' both agreed that family was more important than anything, and that you should always protect it.

"Yeah, but he doesn't see it that way. He only thinks of himself and doesn't think of the consequences of his actions at all."

"What's 'consequences' mean, nii-san?" asked Tsuna.

"Say you hit someone on the playground. As a 'consequence' they no longer want to be your friend. It's the result of an action, little cub," said Xanxus.

Tsuna looked at Xanxus with wide eyes. He didn't like the sound of that.

"Can you read to me again, nii-san?" asked Tsuna.

Xanxus shifted his hold on the kid to something a bit more comfortable. He didn't mind reading to the kids, since it actually inspired Belphegor to develop an interest in books.

Even though as a result of that the homicidal Storm now had a habit of bringing home books after missions and all but demanding Xanxus read them to him.

Meh, it was on the brat's own head if reading the shit Steven King came up with gave him nightmares. At least most of the myths about the Greeks went over Tsuna's head...for now.

(Xanxus refused to read the shit that was available for kids. He didn't care if he had to pause and explain what words or other things meant, he'd rather have any brat demanding a story using their actual brain and learn something rather than read something like Dr. Seuss.)


End file.
